A Miko and her 'Mon
by fringeperson
Summary: A young girl with the powers of a miko leaves the family shrine in Pallet Town to go on a journey of discovery, and she's going to discover it with her 'mon at her side. Don't own. Inspired by YoukaiYume's picture on Deviant Art: "SessKag: I Choose You"
1. Chapter 1

Kagome Higurashi was raised on a shrine located in the woods just beyond Pallet Town. There was nothing unusual about that particularly. What _was_ unusual though, was that the shrine was regularly visited by a 'mon that most people believed to be nothing more than a myth. Most, because Kagome knew better. The ever-curious, giggling, and childishly playful Mew was _much_ more real than anybody else thought to believe. Every other person who came to the shrine came for festivals or to pray at the Tree of Ages for luck.

Kagome visited the Tree for a _different_ reason. It was where she met Mew to play, and Mew played with her any time she was outside and not being watched by her mother or grandfather (they certainly didn't know about the legendary 'mon) or doing chores. Tag and hide-and-go-seek were the usual games, though Kagome was increasingly certain that, however fast she ran, she never won when they played tag unless Mew _let_ her.

Though some days, it was follow-the-leader, and Mew would introduced Kagome to _another_ legendary 'mon that had come to pay him a visit. Nearly all the ancient 'mon knew each other, and would occasionally visit each other, though some _never_ travelled.

The day before Kagome was going to leave the shrine – just as Ash, Gary, Sango, and Miroku (all of whom lived in Pallet Town proper) were going to leave their homes as well – Mew tugged at her sleeve and flew a short way off, looking back at her as he hovered. It seemed it would be another game of follow-the-leader. Obediently, Kagome chased, and as she drew level with Mew, he took off again, halting while still within sight, and waiting for her.

Kagome followed. She had no fear of whatever 'mon might be hiding in the trees, bushes and tall grass. She had played here essentially all her life, and knew that if she _was_ attacked by one of the wild 'mon then Mew would come to her aid and gently (or not so gently) send that 'mon on its way.

This game of follow-the-leader ended when Kagome drew level with Mew and he _didn't_ float off again, but instead looked pointedly down over a bush, giving a chirping, echoing "mew" as he pointed to what was just beyond.

Kagome pushed the leaves aside obediently and gasped at what was there. An egg, absolutely red all over and a bit smaller than her head, and it was just beginning to crack open. Kagome gave a look to Mew and then climbed through the bush to sit down next to the egg, which she gently pulled into her lap.

Mew lowered to actually stand on the ground, rather than floating above it as he usually did, and carefully drew kanji in the dirt by Kagome's feet with the tip of its tail.

"Sesshoumaru," Kagome read, and felt something warm and wet slide up her neck and under her chin. The egg had hatched, and there was a perfectly white puppy in her lap now with the bits of egg shell. "Oh," she cooed, "you are _adorable_," she informed the 'mon.

"Mew!" Mew chirped, getting Kagome's attention again, and pointed significantly from her to the 'mon cradled in her arms, and back again.

"I should keep him?" Kagome asked, just to be sure. After all, Mew generally introduced her to old friends, never new ones before, and especially not friends that she could take home with her.

Mew nodded once, firmly.

Kagome smiled, and hugged the little Sesshoumaru closer. "I'll take good care of him," she promised.

"Mew, mew mew mew, mew, mew mew, mew mew mew."

~oOo~

As she didn't have any pokeballs, and _wouldn't_ until she had been to see Professor Oak, Kagome carried Sesshoumaru in her arms back to the shrine, and had intended to do the same the next day as she walked the short distance to Pallet Town proper where Professor Oak lived. That idea had been stomped on by a large Raticate dashing out of the bushes and baring its fangs at her – and Sesshoumaru jumping down and growling right back.

The Raticate hadn't paid any heed to Sesshoumaru's growling though – why would it when it was more than twice as large? – and leapt.

Sesshoumaru had met the Raticate mid-leap and set his fangs around the Raticate's neck, claws scratching at the Raticate's belly, and when they went down Sesshoumaru was on top. The Raticate struggled a while, but Sesshoumaru held on as he growled and clamped his jaws tighter around the Raticate's neck before the larger 'mon finally went limp. When Sesshoumaru released it, the Raticate righted itself and hurried away.

"My hero," Kagome praised the puppy-'mon, and gave him a hug.

Sesshoumaru was resolved to stay on the ground now though, and walk at her side rather than letting himself be carried.

The little skirmish had delayed them, however, and they arrived at Professor Oak's lab in time to see Gary leaving with a cheer squad. Kagome had _never_ understood what those girls saw in that boy, and she probably never would. It looked like she wasn't the only one who was late though, as Ash had only just arrived as well.

"You are both late," Professor Oak noted as he invited them in.

"I was up late watching the League," Ash excused sheepishly, "and my alarm clock broke."

"There was a delay," Kagome added her own explanation as she held open her arms for Sesshoumaru to jump up and be carried into the lab – which he did willingly.

"I say, is that a 'mon?" Professor Oak asked curiously. "I've never seen one like that before."

"He is," Kagome agreed with a smile. "He's only a day old. He hatched from an egg just yesterday."

"An egg? Really?" Professor Oak pressed, intrigued even as he led them into his lab.

Kagome nodded. "Yep!" she chirped. "I found the egg while I was playing yesterday, and it hatched right there in my lap." No need to tell them about Mew. No need at all.

"How big was the egg?" Ash asked as he eyed Sesshoumaru in Kagome's arms. The 'mon was about fourteen centimetres at the shoulder, if that.

Kagome just giggled.

"Shall I take it that this new 'mon will be your starter?" Professor Oak asked Kagome as he fetched out pokeballs and a pokedex for each of them.

Kagome nodded. "Yes Professor," she answered happily.

"That just leaves you then Ash," Professor Oak said, and the lines around his eyes deepened a little as his face drew tight and he raised the contraption that had the starter 'mon in their balls, waiting to be chosen.

"I thought about it a lot," Ash said as he reached for one of them, "and it took me a long time, but I finally decided to choose Squirtle," he announced.

But the ball popped open to reveal nothing at all.

"I'm afraid that 'mon was already chosen by somebody who was _on time_," Professor Oak said delicately.

Kagome giggled behind her hand. "Spare us all the embarrassment Professor," she begged light-heartedly. "What 'mon _do_ you have left?"

"Just _one_," Professor Oak answered as a central, fourth ball popped out of the centre. "But I should warn you," he cautioned Ash, "there _is_ a problem with this last one."

Ash frowned. "I _have_ to have a 'mon," he said firmly, and accepted the ball, releasing the 'mon inside so that he could meet it.

A little yellow critter appeared on the table, shook its long ears a couple of times, and then said "Pikachu."

"His name is Pikachu," Professor Oak said.

"It's so cute, it's the best of all!" Ash declared, a big grin on his face. "Hi Pikachu!" he greeted happily as he lifted the 'mon high and then cuddled it close.

The little 'mon apparently didn't appreciate that much, as it almost immediately electrocuted the boy.

"Also known as the electric mouse. It's usually shy, but can sometimes have an _electric_ personality," Professor Oak said.

"I see what you mean," Ash croaked as his hold on the Pikachu slackened enough for it to hop down to the floor.

Kagome shook her head, but smiled all the same as she crouched down and held out a hand to the 'mon to shake, since it clearly had paws that could do that. "Hello Pikachu," she greeted. "I'm Kagome, and this is Sesshoumaru. That boy there is Ash, he's going to be your trainer."

"Pika," Pikachu answered, and shook her hand, then released it hop close enough to sniff at Sesshoumaru, who was still being held by the girl.

"Sesshoumaru?" Professor Oak repeated. "Where did you get a name like that? He doesn't look like a killer to me."

Kagome smiled at him, but said nothing. Even the great Professor Oak wouldn't believe her if she told him that the legendary _Mew_ had shown her to the egg and written the kanji in the dirt.

~oOo~

Kagome stood back, a smile on her face, when Mrs Ketchum headed a group (not nearly as big as the mob that had seen Gary off) with instruments and a banner saying 'Go Ash!' as she greeted Ash to wish him the best on his journey. She also got in one last embarrassing mother-son moment, as was her right and duty as she pulled out of the bag everything she'd packed for Ash on his journey – including underwear.

"Is that your 'mon?" she asked when she finally spotted the Pikachu that was standing beside her singed son.

"Pikachu," the 'mon answered with a smile.

"Yep," Ash agreed, "that's my 'mon!"

"Pi," Pikachu scoffed, visibly snubbing the boy.

The whole thing ended with Pikachu taking offence to Mrs Ketchum's unthinking insult – calling a 'mon 'weird' was _not_ a way to win brownie points with it.

Kagome wasn't in the line of electrocution, as it were, and Professor Oak had managed to duck out of the way in time. Far back as she was, and busy as everybody _else_ was with Pikachu's high-voltage tantrum, no one noticed as a white-pink body with a pair of bright blue eyes and a _long_ tail sailed silently up to Kagome – and pulled one of the empty pokeballs off her belt.

"Careful with that," Kagome cautioned with a smile. "You could get trapped inside."

Mew smiled brightly and swooped around to drop the ball over Sesshoumaru's head.

Kagome as she caught the ball before it could hit the puppy's head. "That's right, I haven't made it official yet, have I?"

Sesshoumaru shook his head, licked her chin, and hopped down from her hold.

Kagome held the ball out to Sesshoumaru, and he pressed his nose to the central button and disappeared away inside with a flash of light. Mew nodded, satisfied, and vanished, likely back to the shrine to play. Kagome wondered if she would ever see her first friend again, but decided to not dwell. She had Sesshoumaru now.

The flash had apparently caught Pikachu's attention – once he was no longer giving everybody else the shock treatment – and he scurried around to investigate, his little black nose gently touching the same button that Sesshoumaru had disappeared into a moment before. It was enough of a touch to summon him back out again.

Kagome giggled as Pikachu scurried back in surprise, and happily picked up Sesshoumaru again before she reached out to gently pet the other 'mon. She actually preferred the idea of having him in her arms or walking along side her, rather than in a ball.

"Hey," she said gently to the 'mon. "He may be an ignorant, smelly boy who's still in his pyjamas, but you're kinda stuck with him, so you should at least give him a _chance_, okay? You can teach him all about the _right_ way to treat a 'mon, and save the shock-treatment for when he screws up, okay?" she suggested.

"Pi pi, chau," the 'mon allowed.

Kagome smiled, placed a kiss between Sesshoumaru's ears, and set him on the ground before she straightened up. "Time to get going, I guess," she announced. "Ash? You ready to go?" she called to the boy.

"Huh? Kagome?" Ash asked, confused.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Presently, _your_ 'mon likes _me_ better, and we're _both_ heading for Viridian City, aren't we? Might as well travel together at least _that_ far," she pointed out.

"Uh... just let me get dressed..." Ash requested, and ducked away to do that.

~oOo~

"I don't get why it doesn't go back into its pokeball," Ash complained to Kagome as they walked down the road, having finally left Pallet Town behind.

"First of all," Kagome said firmly, "Pikachu is a _him_, not an _it_. And second, even 'mon can be claustrophobic about being in pokeballs. It isn't like they can _decorate_ them after all," she pointed out.

Ash grumbled inarticulately, but nodded in acceptance. "I just... You know, I get the feeling that if Pikachu wasn't making friends with _your_ 'mon then I'd have to be _dragging_ him along, rather than watching him walk ahead a little ways..."

Kagome giggled behind her hand. It was probably true. Then again... "It isn't like you've really tried to be his friend, you know?" she pointed out with a smile, then stopped when she noticed that Sesshoumaru had gone stiff-legged in front of her and was no longer just bouncing along like the puppy he was. "Sesshoumaru?" she called questioningly.

He glanced back at her, then looked pointedly ahead.

"Oh, a Pidgey," she noted, then smirked. "You want to _play_ with it?" she guessed.

Sesshoumaru nodded, but didn't move.

"Go ahead then," Kagome permitted.

Sesshoumaru stalked closer to where the bird 'mon was scratching at the ground, moving with impressive silence through the grass for a puppy that had no practice at all. He circled around and came up behind the bird, got a little closer, and then pounced.

The bird was pinned to the ground. It couldn't get its wings out, it couldn't twist around to attack with its claws with the whole of the puppy's weight on its back, and Sesshoumaru had his little jaws around the back of the Pidgey's neck so that it couldn't peck at him.

Kagome rushed up to him. "You're very good at that," she praised him, and gave him a scratch behind the ears before she turned her attention to the Pidgey. "Hello," she greeted it. "My name's Kagome, and the 'mon holding you down is Sesshoumaru."

"Pidgey," the Pidgey answered with a cooing, warbled sort of chirp.

Kagome nodded. "Pleased to meet you," she replied, and pulled an empty pokeball off her belt. "I was wondering if you would be interested in travelling with us," she offered. "Or do you have a family you need to get back to?"

The Pidgey nodded and looked longingly towards a tree just a short ways off.

Kagome smiled and put the ball away. "We'll let you go back to them then," she said, and at her nod, Sesshoumaru let the Pidgey up again to fly away. It cooed at them a moment, and nodded politely to Sesshoumaru before flying off. Kagome laughed happily, scooped up Sesshoumaru, and kissed his nose.

"You really seem to know what you're doing," Ash noted, looking a little depressed as he moved to sit down against one of the few trees in the open grassland that stretched between Pallet and Viridian. "Even if you _didn't_ catch that Pidgey."

"The difference between having 'mon as my playmates and having 'mon _merchandise_," Kagome guessed with a shrug. Then her eyes widened as she noticed a small purple body scurrying up towards Ash. "Ash," she said softly, eyes fixed on the Rattata that was carefully approaching the boy. "Do you have trail-mix in your bag?" she asked.

"Yeah," Ash agreed. "Why?"

"Get it out," Kagome ordered softly.

"Huh?" Ash asked, confused, even as he did as he was told.

Kagome carried Sesshoumaru over to Ash, and Pikachu followed.

"Hey there little one," she called softly to the Rattata. "He'll share if you'll let him be your trainer," she promised.

"Huh?" Ash asked, and finally turned to see what Kagome was looking at. It didn't take him long to spot the Rattata. "Oh, hey!" he said with a smile. "Yeah, sure. Heck, we should _all_ have some breakfast," he suggested. "What about you, Pikachu?" he asked the 'mon tentatively.

"Give him a chance," Kagome reminded the little yellow 'mon.

"Pika," the Pikachu sighed, and nodded in agreement.

Ash shared his trail mix with Pikachu and the Rattata, and Kagome got out some jerky for Sesshoumaru to gnaw on – the two of them had already _had_ a large breakfast, but Sesshoumaru was a young 'mon, and needed to keep his energy up. The jerky would be good for his teeth as well.

Once the trail mix was gone, Ash brought out a pokeball and looked hopefully at the Rattata.

It started edging away.

Sesshoumaru pounced on her tail.

"It was part of the deal," Kagome reminded the little 'mon.

The Rattata sighed visibly and turned back to Ash, then nodded in agreement.

Ash smiled happily and tapped the Rattata on the head with the button of the pokeball. She vanished inside.

"Haha!" Ash chuckled giddily. "Yeah! I caught a 'mon!" he cheered, leaping to his feet as he did so. "Thanks Kagome!"

Kagome shook her head in fond exasperation, but stood up and brushed the road-dust off her knees, ready to keep going. "You're not going to catch _every_ 'mon that way, just so you know," she pointed out. "There are plenty of 'mon who will put up one heck of a fight to stay wild."

Ash nodded.

~oOo~

As they walked, Kagome helped Ash catch a Sandshew and a Mankey – though she didn't catch either herself, since catching one of _everything_ wasn't something she was interested in doing. It was a different matter when Kagome spotted a cat-like 'mon with two tails though. As soon as Sesshoumaru had tackled it (and had pinned the equally small two-tail to the ground), Kagome had a ball in her hand as was racing up to them.

"Hey," she greeted the 'mon with a smile. "How do you feel about me being your trainer?" she asked it.

The little 'mon – a Kilala – chirped out a "Ki!" and nodded.

Kagome's smile widened and she tapped it with the pokeball.

Sesshoumaru looked put out as Kagome straightened and spun happily on the spot.

"Oh," she scolded as she picked him up. "Don't be like that," she begged fondly as she kissed his nose. "You're still my number one."

Sesshoumaru smiled a puppy-ish smile, appeased, and licked her cheek happily.

While Kagome hadn't been looking though, Ash and Pikachu had apparently caught the attention of a Spearow. Considering the temper those little 'mon had, that was _never_ a good thing. She _did_ hear the slightly pained call for reinforcements that the Spearow made, and turned quickly, another pokeball in hand and ready to throw. The ball hit the Spearow in the back of it's head, and the bird-type 'mon vanished inside the ball. It didn't come out again, and the ball flew back to her hand. She tucked it onto her belt, then she turned to Sesshoumaru.

"I'm not letting those birds get their beaks and claws into you," she informed him firmly, and took out _his_ pokeball. "It's just _not_ happening," she said firmly as he was recalled to his ball.

Even with the Spearow that had called down the mob on them caught, the rest of the flock were more than willing to attack them still.

"Should we run?" Ash checked with Pikachu.

"Pikachu," the 'mon answered quickly with a nod.

Kagome ran too. After all, she'd _caught_ one of their flock. They weren't about to be any more forgiving of her for that than they were to be of Pikachu for electrocuting said 'mon.

"Don't worry Pikachu," Ash said as they ran. "I'll save you."

"Pika," Pikachu scoffed, and ran faster.

"Hey! Don't pull ahead! I said I'd protect you!" Ash objected, even as the Spearows overtook him and started dive-bombing Pikachu.

Both Ash and Kagome fought their way through the 'mon to Pikachu, Kagome keeping them scared off as Ash picked up the now badly injured little 'mon.

"There should be a 'Mon Centre in Viridian," Kagome said breathlessly as they kept running.

"What's a 'Mon Centre?" Ash asked.

"Hospital for 'mon," Kagome answered shortly. "You keep going, I'll slow them down!"

"How?" Ash demanded incredulously.

"Don't worry about it," Kagome nearly snapped as she halted in her tracks and turned to face the Spearow's they'd managed to get some distance on. "Just _go_!"

Pikachu injured and in his arms, Ash ran.

Kagome had learned more from being raised on a shrine than just how to play hide-and-go-seek with Mew, or how to sweep a courtyard and hand out fortunes at the new year. Higuarhi Kagome had _also_ learned the ways of the ancient mikos, from the moment her grandfather had realised she actually _had_ spiritual gifts that allowed her to _perform_ such tasks. The most basic of the spells she had learned as a miko was one that would stop a dangerously aggressive 'mon from attacking – something from back _before_ people had figured out how to safely capture and train 'mon for themselves.

The mob of Spearows stopped in the air, landed, and regarded her sharply as she chanted. Then, slowly, one by one, they took to the sky again, turning around and going back the way they had come.

Kagome only stopped chanting when the last of the Spearows had left, and slumped to the ground exhausted. The spell was fairly simple, but the more 'mon she was using it on at a time, the more it took out of her, which was why she hadn't wanted to use it straight away. There were a _lot_ of Spearows. Her 'mon journey was about her gaining experience with that sort of thing though, as much as it was about getting gym badges and making her way in the world. Either way, the danger was past now, so that was good.

When she felt like she had the energy enough to move again, Kagome forced herself up and started walking, absently taking Sesshoumaru's pokeball from her belt and releasing him.

"It's okay now Sesshoumaru," she told him happily. "The Spearows are gone."

He nuzzled her ankle through her sock for a moment before he stepped back so as to not trip her as they walked.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, have you seen a boy with an injured Pikachu come this way?" Kagome asked a red-haired girl who was walking along with her bike.

"Yep," she answered. "He stopped to ask if he was going the right way for the 'Mon Centre, and kept running when I told him he was."

Kagome smiled. "Well, _that's_ good to know," she said. "I'm Kagome, and this is Sesshoumaru," she added.

"I've never seen a 'mon like him before," the other girl said as she stared down at the puppy-like 'mon. "Oh, I'm Misty. Pleased to meet you. Do you know what happened to that boy's Pikachu?"

"There was a mob of Spearows involved," Kagome answered. "Pleased to meet you Misty. Are you heading to Viridian City as well?"

"I am now," Misty admitted with a slightly wry smile. "I want to know if that Pikachu is going to be alright."

"You're a trainer too?" Kagome guessed.

"Uh-huh," Mistry agreed. "Actually, I grew up in a water-'mon gym, but I got sick of being the plain sister, so I struck out on my own," she explained.

Kagome nodded in understanding. She could empathise with wanting to be someone who _wasn't_ in the shadow of others – though for Kagome, it had been her mother, Kikyo Higurashi, who she so resembled in face but was _nothing_ like in just about every other way possible. Don't get it wrong, Kagome loved her mother. She looked up to her and wished she was more like Kikyo in this or that aspect of her life... But she would _never_ be satisfied to be a housewife the way her mother was, though she could probably handle being a shrine daughter some day.

Okay, maybe the two girls didn't have _quite_ as much in common, but Kagome could still sympathise.

Then it started to rain on them.

"Ah!" both girls yelped, startled by the sudden change in the weather.

"You go on ahead," Kagome urged Misty as she gathered Sesshoumaru up into her arms. "You'll reach shelter faster if you ride. I'll just have to rely on my own two feet."

Misty shot Kagome an apologetic look, but her bike really was only meant for one, so she couldn't give the other girl a ride. She swung her leg over and pushed off, pedalling quickly to reach Viridian and shelter.

Kagome cringed and held a little tighter to Sesshoumaru when lightning flashed across the sky, but she kept moving – and kept well away from trees, just in case any lightning decided to strike _down_ instead of just passing from one cloud to the next as it was currently doing. The rain stopped before she reached Viridian City though, and a rainbow arced across the sky.

"Well would you look at that," Kagome mused softly. Then smiled when she saw a large 'mon sailing through the sky. She'd seen that one before. It was one of the 'mons that no one believed really existed any more – but Mew had introduced her to one day back when she was only five. She raised a hand to wave as she yelled out to the distant 'mon. "Ho-Oh! Thank you for the lovely rainbow!"

The giant bird turned his head and looked down. It gave a cry that was a return greeting, circled over her for a moment, and then continued on his way, eventually _disappearing_ into the rainbow.

"I'll bet he's going to visit Mew," Kagome confided to Sesshoumaru. "He doesn't come out this way often, so he's sure to stop for a chat." Kagome had been fortunate enough to meet a large number of legendary 'mon when they came to visit Mew, Ho-Oh had been one of them.

Sesshoumaru just licked her jaw, making her giggle, and she set him down on the ground once more.

"Well, come on! We've got to get to Viridian City and make sure Ash and Pikachu got there alright," Kagome said with a smile.

Sesshoumaru nodded and took off in the bouncing way of a happy puppy that Kagome had no problems with matching with her _much_ longer legs.

Apart from Kagome's concern for Ash's Pikachu, they weren't really in a hurry though, and Kagome was content to camp out the first night.

~oOo~

"Looks like I missed some excitement," Kagome commented as she stepped over some rubble in the 'Mon Centre the next morning, Sesshoumaru in her arms so that he wouldn't hurt his paws on the rubble.

"You sure did!" Misty answered. "Team Rocket were here trying to steal the 'mon, but Ash and Pikachu stopped them cold!" Then she crossed her arms and huffed unhappily. "Even if they _did_ destroy my bike and the 'Mon Centre to do it," she grumbled. "He'd better _pay_ for that."

Kagome smiled and stepped up to where the Pikachu in question was sitting, munching on some Chow – a foodstuff made especially for 'mon. "I'm glad to see you've decided to get along with him," she said to him as she gently scratched behind Pikachu's ears.

"Pika pi," Pikachu answered with a clearly deliberately put-on indifference, as if to say "I guess he'll do."

Kagome giggled and gave Pikachu one last scratch behind the ears before she stepped up to the counter and Nurse Joy. "Are you still processing 'mon?" she asked hopefully.

Nurse Joy nodded with a smile. "We are!" she answered happily. "How many 'mon do you need me to treat?"

"Well, I'm fairly sure that Sesshoumaru is fine," Kagome said with a smile down at the 'mon in her arms. "But it couldn't hurt to make sure. Apart from him, I've got a Spearow and a Kilala that might be a little banged up from when I caught them on the way here," she continued as she pulled the balls off her belt.

Nurse Joy brought out a tray for the balls – and Sesshoumaru – to be sat on, and Kagome set them in place without any further prompting.

The healing complete, Kagome reclaimed the balls and Sesshoumaru, and stepped carefully over the rubble again as she headed outwards, only to be way-laid by Ash calling her name.

"Kagome! Hey, you made it!"

"And now I'm off again," she answered with a smile. "I get the feeling Misty is going to be able to keep you in line with your training while she waits for you to be able to pay her back for her bike."

Ash winced and laughed nervously, a sheepish, embarrassed expression on his face. "Yeah, that wasn't... it worked out though! We saved the 'mon! But... yeah..."

Kagome just smiled and waved as she continued out of the damaged building.

There was a Gym in Viridian, and while she was fairly sure that she and her 'mon weren't actually ready to try for a gym badge – yet – she could scope the place out and see what sort of 'mon she'd have to get ready to do battle against, and it wasn't like there was a maximum number of times a person could try for a badge. She was going to stop by the shop that sold remedies and the Chow mix first though. She wasn't going to do anything to really _risk_ the health of her 'mon after all, not if she could help it anyway.

"Mr Giovanni isn't in right now," Kagome was informed by a uniformed man when she arrived at the Gym's door. "He is occupied with business elsewhere."

"I'm surprised that a Gym could be left without _someone_ to challenge for a badge," Kagome answered, "surely that's against the Gym Leader's Code or something?"

The uniform-wearing man blinked a little dumbly at that. It was _clearly_ not the answer he was expecting.

"Is there a problem?" a new voice interjected firmly. Almost harshly. The woman the voice belonged to was wearing several layers of kimono, a couple of feathers in her short black hair, and was tapping a closed fan against her shoulder as she fixed red eyes on the man at the door.

"No Miss Kagura!" the uniformed man assured the new arrival quickly. "The girl here... she's a trainer..."

Miss Kagura turned her attention to Kagome, and gave her a scrutinising look for a moment. "You look far too innocent and new to really be ready to challenge for a badge," she decided after a moment.

"I've got to start somewhere," Kagome answered.

Kagura blinked once, twice, and gave a soft "huh," as she tilted her head slightly to look Kagome over a second time. "Come on in," she decided at last. She ushered Kagome through the door and flicked on the lights. "I'm Mr Giovanni's stand-in when his business takes him out of Viridian. Now, what's your name, girl?" she asked.

"Kagome," she answered. "Kagome Higurashi."

Miss Kagura blinked. "InuYasha's daughter?" she asked, surprised.

"You knew my dad?" Kagome countered, just as surprised.

Kagura nodded, a wry twist to her lips. "We were always at each other's throats when we were kids, then he saved me from this big hairy spider-type 'mon, an Onigumo, that had somehow gotten into school and cornered me in the school hallway. After that, the insults weren't as biting or harshly intended as they'd used to be," she explained. "He got married. Huh. Never would have thought it of him."

Kagome smiled sadly. It was nice to hear something about her dad. Her mother didn't talk about him since the accident. "He died," she offered softly. "Grandpa says he was trying to fix the shrine roof and he fell wrong. He broke his neck and cracked his skull. I was too small to remember."

Kagura's jaw fell in shock. "I... I'm sorry, Kagome-chan," she said softly. "I didn't know..."

Kagome shook her head. "That's alright," she answered. "I liked hearing about him. Mother doesn't talk about him much, just looks sad all the time, and it was a long time ago. I wouldn't even know what he looked like, except that Ma keeps their wedding picture on the hall-stand."

Kagura nodded in acceptance. "Well," she decided, and shifted the subject back to 'mon. A much safer subject. "Anyway. Kagome-chan. You're a new trainer, right? That means you probably won't win a badge today. Do you still want to try?" Kagura asked. "Afterwards, win or lose, I'll give you some pointers and suggestions for further improvement."

Kagome smiled brightly. "Ah! Thank you Miss Kagura!" she answered.

~oOo~

The first 'mon Miss Kagura had released for their battle was a Farfetch'd. Kagome had crossed her fingers and released the Spearow she'd caught earlier that day. That had turned into a mess of claws, feathers, and leeks – a Farfetch'd _always_ carried a leek, and used it like it was a sword. Quite the little samurai birds, really.

"Okay, first of all," Kagura said once they'd both recalled their birds after a messy double-knock-out, "don't send a like 'mon against a like 'mon unless you're sure there's an advantage to doing so. You might have been better off sending that puppy of yours out to fight. Might. But just because your 'mon could give better chase doesn't mean it's the better _choice_. Okay?"

Kagome nodded in agreement.

"On the up side, you did really well handling that Spearow. How long have you had him?" Kagura asked. "I know they're a temperamental sort of 'mon."

"Just caught him yesterday," Kagome answered.

"Then I'm even more impressed," Kagura informed the girl. "Alright, next up..." she released a Beedrill. "This is the sort of 'mon you _should_ have released your Spearow against."  
"Birds versus bugs," Kagome said with a nod. "Working like the food chain, sort of. Even though the Beedrill is as big as the Spearow."

"Size doesn't matter all that much," Kagura said. "Your 'mon can grow, physically, if you do the right things. Maybe not much beyond the average size, but certainly some. They won't _just_ get stronger until they evolve. My Beedrill here, he's a little longer in the body and the spikes than your average Beedrill. Your puppy there? I have no idea what sort of 'mon he is, but even though he isn't even a foot high at the shoulder, it's possible that he _could_ be, _if_ you encourage the growth. On the other hand, it's perfectly possible for a small 'mon like an Eevee to take down a much larger 'mon, _if_ it's trained properly. Now, your Spearow is knocked out from the face-off against my Farfetch'd, so which will you send instead?"

Kagome grabbed the second ball from her belt and unleashed Kilala.

The tiny two-tail had needle-sharp teeth in her little mouth, to say nothing of claws and an ability to use her tails as clubs if she wanted. A poisonous sting from the Beedrill saw Kilala down though, wobbling on her feet even as she raised her head to take one last bite out of the Beedrill – she had managed to seriously damage the bug's wings in their fight, as well as give it some other nasty burns, even if she collapsed first. Another double-knock-out. If either of them won this last round, they would be the winner, which meant Kagome still had a shot at the gym badge.

"Better," Kagura praised, and switched out the Beedrill for a 'mon that looked like a skinny brown wolf with blue eyes and a black ponytail. "This is a Koga," she informed Kagome. "They're not _rare_, as such, but they are recently discovered, and their native habitat is well to the north and away from here, which is why most people don't know what it is."

Kagome nodded in understanding, even as she pulled out her pokedex to have it scan the Koga.

"Koga, or the 'ookami' 'mon. A fast runner, it is capable of kicking up wind-storms with its speed. The Koga is also naturally resistant to the cold, as they are normally found in northern mountains," the 'dex recited.

Kagome nodded to herself and folded it away, then looked down at Sesshoumaru. "What do you think?" she asked him. "He _is_ more than five times your size."

Sesshoumaru snorted indelicately, and stepped forward, stiff-legged.

"What did I say about like against like?" Kagura scolded lightly, teasingly before she ordered Koga to start (literally) running circles around Kagome's 'mon.

Sesshoumaru, however, had been pouncing on fast-moving 'mon all of the previous day. Sometimes stalking up on them when they weren't aware of him, but _just_ as often chasing after them. Kagome _knew_ her 'mon could be fast on his little legs – and practice at running made a person _better_ at running, and that applied to 'mon too.

"Anticipate where he'll be Sesshoumaru," Kagome instructed. "Don't try and follow him with your eyes or he'll make you dizzy. Then bring him down."

Because that was the thing about running in a circle – you always came back to the same point eventually. Sesshoumaru was a smart little 'mon for being so young, and it didn't take him long to move, colliding solidly with Koga's side and sending the other (much larger) 'mon tumbling off his feet.

When Sesshoumaru stalked up to Koga, there was a slight hissing sound coming from his claws, and little burn marks were left behind on the ground as he walked.

Kagome's eyes widened. It looked like Sesshoumaru's claws could be _acidic_. Good to know.

The Koga whimpered when Sesshoumaru pressed his claws down and wrapped his little jaws around a part of the larger 'mon's neck where the fur wasn't quite as thick.

"I believe you actually _win_ this round," Kagura noted with surprise as she recalled her Koga. "I congratulate you, and present you with this," Kagura said, and pulled a small, shining green badge out from a fold in her kimono.

The Earth Badge. Official proof that Kagome had won her first gym battle. However narrowly.

"And this," Kagura continued as she pulled a small booklet out from where it had been tucked in the a different fold of her kimono. "It's a training manual that should help you with that Spearow," she explained as she walked over and held it out to the girl.

"Thank you Miss Kagura," Kagome answered with a smile as she accepted the well-read-looking little book. "Huh?" she asked, as she realised that she was actually holding _two_ books. The booklet that Kagura had said would help her with Spearow and... a book with no title, but that upon flicking open revealed itself to be some sort of trainer's travel guide. "Thank you, Miss Kagura," Kagome repeated softly.

Kagura smiled down at the girl. "You're welcome. That little book has served me well, and passing it on to you is the least I can do... for the daughter of an old friend. Oh! And some advice. Pewter City, down the road a ways, the Gym there is run by a young man called Brock. He has two 'mon that he uses when trainers challenge him for his badge: an Onix and a Geodude. You might want to look into getting a 'mon more suited to fighting living rocks before you challenge him. Birds and kittens aren't."

Kagome bit her lip as she thought about that, but nodded in appreciation of the advice all the same, and was shown out of the Gym. She looked down at Sesshoumaru as they headed back to the 'Mon Centre to get all the hurts patched from the battle with Miss Kagura. "Did you _grow_ during that fight?" she asked him, just a little suspiciously.

Sesshoumaru's tongue lolled out and he butted his head against her the sock over her calf... higher up than he had the day before.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Kagome answered with a sigh. "You _keep_ growing that fast, then _you'll_ be the one carrying _me_, rather than the other way around."

Sesshoumaru just rubbed his head against her leg again happily and trotted on silently at her side.

~oOo~

The next morning, Sesshoumaru was a little bigger again than he was the night before. Still not _so_ big that Kagome couldn't carry him in her arms if she wanted to, but if he kept it up his shoulder would be brushing her knee before long – at which point he would _probably_ be too big to carry in her arms the way she had been. That is to say, almost constantly.

After a healthy breakfast for herself and her 'mon, Kagome packed up her camp and continued on her way to Pewter City. Of course, she had to actually get through Viridian Forest first.

Viridian Forest was well known for the abundance of _bug_-type 'mon that inhabited it. Not very useful against the rock-type 'mon of Pewter Gym. Kagome knew that she probably wouldn't find a 'mon that would get her that badge based on a 'type' advantage as she travelled though, and had already accepted that. What she planned to do instead was to make her way _very_ slowly through the forest, enjoying the scenery and training extensively each day so that the 'mon that she _had_ would be strong enough that even Spearow – and bird-type 'mon were naturally weak against rock-type 'mon – would be able to pull a victory.

Kagome had Spearow fly with a large rock in its claws, the size of the rock increasing each day, to build up Spearow's strength and endurance. Kagome also had Spearow practice _splitting_ rocks with his _very_ sharp beak. Kilala was a fire-type 'mon, though due to her size she wasn't considered a very threatening one. Still, she was _capable_ of engulfing her entire body in flames (and not getting burnt by them, that was important), and could _cause_ burns to _other_ 'mon if they got too close to her when she was like that. It was just a matter of Kilala learning to keep on the move while she was in her little fire ball. She was also learning how to create a sort of whip of fire from her tails, but as she was still _very_ small, that was only weak yet.

Sesshoumaru hunted. Particularly, he hunted Weedles, Kakunas and Beedrills – and rather than letting them go, he _ate_ them, stingers and poison sacks and all. Sometimes he shared them with Spearow, and had allowed Kilala a taste the one time she'd sniffed curiously (after one bite, the kitten-like 'mon had pulled a face, spat out her mouthful, and had walked away, nose in the air).

Kagome wasn't exactly thrilled with Sesshoumaru's eating habits though.

"Sesshoumaru, why are you doing that?" she asked him the first time he did that.

Sesshoumaru barked gently and stepped up to a large rock. He raised his little paw and gently drew his claws down. Each claw left a hair-thin bubbling trail of _melted_ _rock_ behind.

"You're making your acid claws more potent by eating the poisonous bugs?" Kagome asked, checking for confirmation.

Sesshoumaru nodded, a smile on his cute little puppy features.

Kagome sighed, but accepted the explanation and made no more of an effort to stop her 'mon than she had _before_ she'd asked why he was doing what he was doing.

Another week in the forest, and Spearow was lifting _Kagome_ for his exercises, as well as breaking boulders with his beak; Kilala was one _fast_ little ball of fur and fire; and Sesshoumaru... was _almost_ capable of lifting Kagome from the ground if he squirmed between her legs and then straightened his own as far as they would go (and if Kagome lifted her own feet off the ground).


	3. Chapter 3

"Greetings, oh Dark-Haired Maiden," said a boy in what was almost definitely a cheap knock-off of samurai armour and helmet. His sword sure looked sharp as he pointed it at Kagome though. "Are you, by any chance, a trainer of 'mon from the town of Pallet?"

"Yeah, what's it to ya?" Kagome countered with a frown. "And put that thing away before someone gets hurt," she snapped, and pushed down the sword by the blunt side. Sesshoumaru had been growling since he saw the blade, and considering his size, it was entirely possible that the kid with the sword and armour would have been the one getting hurt.

"I have faced every other trainer from Pallet to have passed through Viridian Forest so far, and I have it on authority that there was one yet that I had not met," the samurai-wannabe answered. "I challenge you to a 'mon battle."

Kagome raised an eyebrow at the kid and glanced at Sesshoumaru. "You live in this forest, right?" she asked.

"That is correct."

"Then I'm going to make a wild guess and suggest you mostly have bug-type 'mon," Kagome suggested.

"Also correct," the boy agreed.

"How do I put this?" Kagome mused as she looked at the sky for inspiration. "I have a well-rested Spearow, a _fire_-elemental 'mon, and Sesshoumaru here has been supplementing his diet with the local wildlife, that is to say, _bug 'mon_, since our first day here," Kagome explained. "Knowing this, do you still want to battle me?"

"I am still confident that I have what it takes to defeat you," the boy answered firmly.

Kagome sighed. "Oh, fine. Who are you anyway?"

"I am Samurai," the kid answered seriously. "I am also shrewd, fearless, and completely invincible in combat," he stated as he returned his sword to its sheath.

"Seriously?" Kagome asked, then shook her head. "Nevermind. Let's just get this over with."

Samurai sent out his first 'mon, a Pinsir. Big, ugly, intimidating... not actually all that tough to beat though, if you knew how.

Kagome sent out Kilala, who was still her smallest 'mon by a long shot, and certainly dwarfed by the large bug 'mon.

"Ha! Your pathetic little kitten won't stand a chance against Pinsir's claws!" Samurai declared proudly. "Pinsir, use your vice grip!"

"Flaming tackle Kilala," Kagome instructed lowly. "That should teach him not to be so arrogant just because his 'mon is bigger."

Indeed it did, when Kilala dodged the Pinsir's vice grip, lit herself on fire, and then smashed her larger opponent into the ground – lighting _him_ on fire at the same time. The Pinsir didn't like that very much.

"Pinsir, return!"

Kilala dropped gently to the grass again as the larger 'mon was recalled to his ball from beneath her, re-absorbed her fire, and strutted back to Kagome with her nose in the air.

The kid sent out a Metapod next. Sesshoumaru didn't wait for instruction to walk up to the other 'mon, dig a small hole, drop the Metapod in, fill up the hole again, and sit on it.

Kagome giggled. "Not so completely invincible," she noted with a small smirk. "Sesshoumaru, come on," she called, and recalled Kilala to her ball again as well. "Bye-bye, bug-boy," she farewelled over her shoulder as she walked away, Sesshoumaru at her side.

~oOo~

For a bit of fun, and some extra training at the same time, Kagome decided to let her 'mon _race_ through the rest of Viridian Forest to the road to Pewter City. As far as she was concerned, they were _all_ winners, all the time, but it was training and friendly competition between them that would keep them on top when they had to do battle with _other_ people's 'mon.

Kilala, being the smallest and with the shortest legs, got a head start. Spearow, because he could fly, got a handicap – he'd be carrying Kagome. She was going to hang by her hands from his claws until he couldn't maintain altitude. When that happened, Kagome was going to join in running the race herself. As for Sesshoumaru, he'd start last – and probably still beat Kagome and the other two 'mon to the rest house on the edge of the forest.

He did, and Kagome had a good laugh and relax with her 'mon before she returned Kilala and Spearow to their pokeballs and continued on with Sesshoumaru to Pewter City at a more relaxed pace.

It was late when they reached the city though, so Kagome decided to stay the night at the 'Mon Centre before heading to the Gym first thing in the morning.

The next morning, it was breakfast, a check-up with Nurse Joy, and then off to the Gym with Sesshoumaru at her side and her other two 'mon in their balls, just waiting to be called upon.

"Are you Brock?" Kagome asked when she had closed the doors of the Pewter City Gym and stood facing the gym leader from across the arena.

"I'm Flint," the man answered with a shake of his head. "My son Brock left recently to pursue his dream. If you want a Boulder Badge, Miss, you'll have to defeat _me_."

Kagome nodded in acceptance. "Alright," she agreed. "Oh, I'm Kagome."

"Kagome. Two on two," Flint said firmly. "No time limit."

Kagome nodded again.

"For my first 'mon, I choose: Golem!" Flint declared, and threw the pokeball into the rocky arena between them, releasing the large, boulder-like 'mon.

"I counter with Spearow!" Kagome announced, and released her bird.

"Don't you know anything?" Flint asked. "Bird-type 'mon are naturally weaker against rock-types," he scolded – only to blink in surprise when he saw how _large_ the Spearow was. "I'm fairly sure they're not supposed to be that big until they evolve into Fearow..." he said hesitantly.

"A little love and the right diet," Kagome said with a pleased, proud smirk. "Spearow, Mr Flint thinks his Golem is too tough for you," she cooed.

"Spear!" the bird crowed in answer.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Let's prove him wrong. Drill peck attack!"

"Spear!" Spearow shrieked happily, and soared up.

"Golem, defence curl!" Flint ordered quickly.

Spearow's attack made contact, and Golem grunted in pain.

"Pick him up!" Kagome called. "Teach the rock what it's like to fly."

"Gol!" Golem cried, waving his stubby little arms about frantically as Spearow slowly lifted him high into the rafters of the Gym.

"Spea-he-he-he..." Spearow chuckled softly, if a little wickedly, and then released the larger, _much_ heavier 'mon.

The impact left a new crater in the floor of the Gym arena, and Golem seeing stars.

"Golem, return!" Flint ordered quickly, reclaiming his 'mon before more harm could befall him. "I guess I underestimated you a little, but let's see how you handle Rhydon!"

"Sesshoumaru," Kagome said softly, laying a hand quickly on Sesshoumaru's back before the 'mon stepped up. Rydons were pretty much fire-proof, and there was no _way_ that Spearow would be able to pick _that_ up and drop it on his head. Golem had been enough of a struggle, she could tell – Spearow had really had to pump those wings to get up that high. Her bird 'mon wouldn't get to the eyes either, because of that horn. Sesshoumaru it _had_ to be.

While Sesshoumaru stepped up to fight, feet placed slowly and deliberately, legs stiff, Spearow landed tiredly at Kagome's side to get some petting in before retreating to his pokeball.

"Rhydon, horn attack!" Flint commanded.

Sesshoumaru dodged without needing to be told, but -

"He's left himself open Sesshoumaru!" Kagome called out. "Use your acid claws!"

Sesshoumaru didn't need telling twice and raked his claws down Rydon's back, leaving bubbling furrows behind as the acid from his claws continued to hurt the larger 'mon – causing it to roar in pain.

"No! Rhydon!" Flint exclaimed as the large 'mon fell forward, unable to withstand the pain and the poison. "Return!"

Sesshoumaru flicked his long, fluffy white tail and walked proudly back to Kagome. She stroked the blue crescent on top of his head and kissed his nose and wrapped her arms around his neck happily.

"Well Miss Higurashi, I'm thoroughly impressed," Flint said as he crossed the arena to her. "You managed to defeat a rock-type 'mon with a bird-type. That's hard to do. In recognition of my defeat, here is your Boulder Badge," he announced with a slight quirk of a smile as he held out the badge for Kagome to take.

"Thank you," Kagome said, a smile on her own face as she bowed and accepted the badge. "Mm!" she exclaimed happily as she once again hugged Sesshoumaru tightly around his neck. "We did it," she whispered happily into his fur.

Sesshoumaru smiled his doggy smile and licked what of her face and neck he could reach.

~oOo~

The road was long, and a little lonely, even if she was travelling with at least Sesshoumaru out of his pokeball more than he was in it. After Pewter City, the next significant landmark was Mount Moon, and actually, Kagome was debating going around it, rather than taking the short-cut through the (famously very dark) cave system. It wasn't like she was in a hurry after all.

"What do you guys think?" she asked her 'mon when she set up camp at the base of the mountain that evening. "Around or through the mountain tomorrow?"

Kilala drew a straight line in the dirt when Kagome looked to her. One vote for through, which quickly became two, then three when Spearow and Sesshoumaru both did the same thing.

Kagome nodded in acceptance. "Through it is. I guess I'd better dig out my torch ready for the morning."

Sesshoumaru picked up Kagome's yellow backpack by one of the straps and held it out to her.

Kagome smiled as she accepted the bag and kissed his nose in gratitude. Sesshoumaru was still such an eager-to-please puppy, even if he was rapidly approaching a size she could ride on.

The next morning, Kagome had to bite her lip to keep from giggling and/or cooing at the sight that confronted her. As per her usual practice when on the road, she'd let her 'mon sleep outside of their balls, and one very cute little wild 'mon had crept into her camp and curled up at Sesshoumaru's side while they were all asleep.

It was just _too_ adorable.

A tiny little Vulpix, curled up against Sesshoumaru and with her (Kagome felt sure about that without having to check) head as close to Sesshoumaru's as possible.

Kagome grabbed her 'dex and quickly pulled up the camera function. She wanted a picture, just in case the Vulpix didn't want to join the team and Kagome never got a chance to see this sight again.

As quietly as she could, Kagome woke Kilala, and offered her some Chow, and once the fire-kitten had eaten, returned the 'mon to her ball. Then she woke Spearow just as quietly, fed him, and returned him to his ball. Then Kagome headed for Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshoumaru," Kagome whispered as she ran her fingers through the increasingly thick fur from his chin to his shoulder. "Sesshoumaru, time to wake up."

Sesshoumaru's ears twitched and he opened his eyes. He was just smiling that doggy smile just for Kagome when his nose twitched and drew his attention downwards – to the Vulpix that was snuggled up to him. A flick of his paw, and the Vulpix was on her back, and then he slammed his paw down, trapping her on her back as she was woken up by the sudden movement.

He didn't use his acid claws, and while the Vulpix struggled under the large paw, she didn't use any of the fire attacks that were natural to her breed.

Kagome pulled out a pokeball and knelt down beside the wild 'mon. "Do you want to come with us?" she asked.

"Vulp!" the little 'mon answered, and it sounded like a positive, even as her little paws continued to flail.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Kagome decided, and tapped the Vulpix with the ball. That brought her team up to a total of four, two of which were fire-elemental 'mon. "Well," Kagome said as she straightened up again. "I guess it's time to pack up and get moving. Here you go Sesshoumaru," Kagome added, pulling out his kibble. "You eat while I pack up camp."

Sesshoumaru was more than glad to obey _that_ order.

~oOo~

The cave system of Mount Moon was dark, but thankfully not dank or drippy, and Kagome and Sesshoumaru were out and on the other side of the mountain in time for lunch. Kagome wasn't really interested in exploring or catching the 'mon that lived in the mountain. The mountain decided to take an interest in _her_ though, when a bit of rock dislodged from just above the cave exit and fell on her head.

"Ouch!" Kagome yelped, and raised a hand to rub at her abused skull. "What did I do to you?" she demanded as she glared back over her shoulder at the mountain. "Are you upset that I didn't stop to enjoy the scenery or something?"  
Of course, the mountain didn't respond, so Kagome looked down for the rock that had landed on her head, intending to kick it in petty (and she knew it was) revenge. Only... it was sparkling and she could feel a slight aura coming from the bit of rock.

"Oh, a Moon Stone," Kagome realised as she picked it up.

Sesshoumaru gave an enquiring whine.

"Uh, they're supposed to make 'mon more powerful," Kagome explained. "Or certain 'mon, anyway. I guess... I'll just hold onto it for now. I don't really think there's much merit in carrying rocks around, but this one could be useful some day. Who knows, it might even trigger an evolved stage for you. I'm not in a hurry to find out, but we'll keep the options open, okay?" she suggested.

Sesshoumaru nodded in agreement, and they continued on their way.

A short while later, they came to a sign that indicated one fork of the road would take them directly to Cerulean City. A bit of graffiti on the sign indicated that Gary Oak was _still_ an immature brat with a complex in regards to Ash Ketchum (of all people). And to think, they'd used to be best friends.

~oOo~

"We got beaten three times in a row by kids from this nowhere town called Pallet," the pink-haired sister of the three gym leaders said when Kagome had found them by a different pool after the show.

It had to be fake. Kagome was impressed at how well the dye was holding though, considering how often the women were in the water for their shows. Actually, they _all_ had nice hair for how often it must get soaked during their shows.

"And then our little sister got beat as well by a _fourth_ kid from Pallet who she'd actually arrived in town with," the blue-haired sister added.

"And we've still only got Goldeen, all our other 'mon are still at the 'Mon Centre recovering," the blonde finished. "You want a Cerulean City Gym Badge? Take it," she said, and clapped her hands twice. "Seel!" she called.

"Seel," answered the 'mon as he poked his head out of the water and swam up to them.

"One Cascade Badge," the blonde declared, accepting the blue droplet-shaped badge from the Seel and presented it to Kagome. "It's yours."

"Yeah, your 'mon could _totally_ fit our Goldeen in his mouth, no problem. I don't think we'd win from that position," the pink-haired one pointed out with a significant look at Sesshoumaru.

Kagome grimaced. It was a slight exaggeration. A Goldeen would still be more than one bite, but Sesshoumaru _was_ getting big. "Don't tempt him," she said. "Sesshoumaru _has_ eaten other 'mon before. Hasn't gone for seafood yet, but I really don't want to see that happen. Um, but... what about Seel?"

"Oh don't be, like, ridiculous! Seel doesn't battle," the blue-haired sister said, and laughed like Kagome had just made a joke.

"He's our mascot," the pink-haired sister added by way of explanation.

Seel, Kagome noticed, drooped a little bit.

"I'd still rather earn the badge," Kagome said, and bit her lip thoughtfully. "Maybe... if you refuse to battle... when all my 'mon can swim, I'll accept the badge," Kagome suggested. "Even Spearow."

"Ooh, like, I _like_ that idea!" the blonde sister said with a smile. "That way, we're not totally punking out, and you're still earning the badge."

"Well, I guess I'll be hanging out at the Gym for a while. I'm Kagome."

"Oh, like, we totally forgot to introduce ourselves!" the pink-haired sister said. "I'm Lily."

"I'm Violet," the blue-haired sister offered.

"And I'm Daisy," the blonde finished with a smile. "So, let's see your 'mon that we're going to be teaching how to swim."

Kagome smiled happily. "Well, there's Sesshoumaru of course," she said with a gesture to the large 'mon at her side, and reached for her pokeballs. "There's also Kilala, Vulpix, and Spearow."

The sisters all blinked.

"Uh, two of those are _fire_ 'mon, and the other one's a bird," Lily said.

"Well, if they can all learn to swim, Kagome will have _really_ earned her badge," Violet answered her sister with a shrug.

During the first lesson, Kagome made friends with Seel at the same time as she carefully cajoled Spearow, Kilala, and Vulpix into the water. None of them were initially willing, though the sight of Sesshoumaru already in the pool and demonstrating an excellent doggy-paddle leant encouragement to Vulpix at least. Kiarara and Spearow needed a _lot_ more encouragement though, especially Spearow. He was a _flying_ 'mon, not a _swimming_ 'mon.

By the end of the week, even Spearow was diving and chirping as happily as any Golduck, and Kagome felt like that was an achievement that might be worthy of a Cascade Badge. Kagome had _also_ become such good friends with Seel that when it was time for her to leave the 'mon made it _very_ clear that he didn't want her to go.

"I can't stay," Kagome protested to the 'mon sadly as she hugged him. "I've got to keep going. That's what a 'mon journey is all about."

"Well, our 'mon are all better and back from the 'Mon Centre now," Daisy said. "I have an idea. If you can beat all three of us, then you can take Seel with you on your 'mon journey. He'll be _your_ 'mon to care for."

"What? Daisy, what are you doing?" Lily and Violet protested.

"But you _do_ have to beat _all_ of us," Daisy warned firmly. "One on one, any draw is counted as a loss to you. Seel _is_ our mascot after all. And, you must change 'mon for each battle, just like we will."

Kagome looked from the three sisters to Seel. "Would you want to come with me?" she asked softly.

Seel nodded.

Kagome smiled. "Then I accept," she answered firmly.

Lily faced Kagome in the watery arena first with a Poliwhirl.

Kagome countered with Kilala. She knew that she had to fight this battle with her brains, not just her the brawn of her 'mon. Kilala was a strong swimmer, for all that she didn't like getting her fur wet, and she was starting to get bigger. She wasn't quite up to the same size as Poliwhirl, but on the platforms above the water? Kilala would have the advantage. The advantage would be neutralised if they actually got in the water, but she was confident that she could hold her own.

"Poliwhirl, water gun!" Lily ordered.

"Counter it with your flame thrower Kilala!" Kagome called out, not having to worry about telling her 'mon to dodge. Her 'mon were smart enough to not need to be told _that_.

"Poliwhirl, look out!" Lily cried.

Poliwhirl had been a bit too focused on where he had been aiming his water gun, and hadn't seen Kilala choose a different platform to launch her counter-attack from. The flames got him all up his left side.

"Poliwhirl!" the 'mon cried as he fell into the water, burned, and flailed there rather than swimming, the pain too much for him.

"Like, return Poliwhirl!" Lily summoned. "This is going to be like fighting all those other kids from Pallet Town, you know," she pointed out to Daisy as she hopped off the platform to stand at the edge of the pool while Violet took her place.

"But this is for Seel, not just a badge," Daisy pointed out. "And... Seel _wants_ to go with her. We just have to let him know that... we love him too."

Lily blinked and looked over at where Seel was watching the confrontation between Violet's Shelder and Kagome's Spearow (the bird's beak was doing serious damage to the clam's shell, and it wasn't looking any better out there for Violet than it had for Lily).

"That's two out of three to Kagome," Violet said unhappily as she got off her platform and re-joined her sisters. "Daisy, is there any point to you going out there too?"

"I said she had to defeat all three of us," Daisy insisted as she stepped up. "I did _not_ say it would be best of three. Like, go Tentacruel!"

Sesshoumaru answered that challenge with an expression that Kagome recognised as his _hungry_ grin, and quickly pulled out her 'dex as Sesshoumaru hopped onto the next platform.

"Tentacruel, the jellyfish 'mon, sometimes known as 'the gangster of the sea', Tentacruel has approximately twelve stinger-tipped tentacles that it can extend when hunting to trap its prey," the device informed Kagome.

"I was afraid of that," Kagome said softly as she tucked it away in her belt-pouch. "Sesshoumaru has decided he wants to expand his diet to include poisonous seafood as well as poisonous bugs. Sesshoumaru, exercise a little restraint, please?" she called out to him.

Sesshoumaru glance back at her, sighed, and nodded in acceptance.

"Restraint?" Daisy questioned. "You lose here, and Seel stays. If you really want to take him with you, you don't have the _luxury_ of restraint. Tentacruel, poison sting attack!"

"And she tells Sesshoumaru exactly what he wants to know," Kagome sighed as she watched her 'mon go straight for Tentacruel's extended main stinger, and bite it off.

"What?!" Daisy yelped, horrified as she watched her Tentacruel flail in pain, bleed from his broken beak, and finally pass out without having dealt more than a few light taps to Sesshoumaru (his fur getting in the way of his being actually scratched by those glancing blows). "Tentacruel, return!"

Kagome winced. "Sorry about that," she apologised as she hopped off the platform to the pool-side. Sesshoumaru stayed put on the platform for a little longer, chewing on the poisonous spike he'd just liberated from his opponent.

Daisy sighed. "Well, it looks like Seel is going with you," she said.

"Like, what a total bummer," Violet grumbled.

Lily walked up to Seel and knelt down. "We'll miss you," she told the 'mon as she looked him in the eye. "But if you really want to go with Kagome, then you can."

"Seel! Seel!" the 'mon cheered, and slapped his flippers together happily.


	4. Chapter 4

It was possible, from Cerulean City, to go straight on to Saffron City, but Kagome had been taking her time so far (the short-cut through Mount Moon being an executive decision by her 'mon), and she saw no reason to alter that now. There was, however, one thing she _did_ see reason to alter about her travelling arrangements.

"You," Kagome said to Sesshoumaru as she set up camp their first night out of Cerulean, "are getting _too_ big. You're either going to attract trainers who want to catch or challenge you, or scare them all off."

Sesshoumaru cocked his head at her, clearly (if silently) asking what she was proposing to do about the matter, since he wasn't able to simply decide to stop growing.

Kagome sighed. "I see two options," she stated. "Okay, three. Option one is we continue as we have been, and accept what life hands us in the way of other trainers challenging us. Option two is you start spending more of the day in your pokeball, which would give your paws a rest from the road as well."

Sesshoumaru cocked his head the other way, clearly asking what option three was.

"Option three is you start carrying _me_ around," Kagome said frankly. "You _are_ big enough now," she pointed out. Kagome raised her head to look at the stars as a though struck her. "Or surprise option number four, which is to switch between all three of those at various intervals."

Sesshoumaru barked and grinned, tongue hanging out happily as his tail thumped into the dirt.

"Option number four?" Kagome guessed.

Sesshoumaru nodded.

That decision certainly meant that the trainer to challenge her the next day certainly could have been on the receiving end of a nasty surprise. Thought he was so tough when he brought out his Rattata. Now, Kagome knew that a well-trained Rattata _could_ be a real challenge, but... countering the cute little purple mouse with great big Sesshoumaru would have been serious overkill.

She set her cat on it instead. Kilala was closer to the same stature, though she had grown a bit from the tiny kitten she was when Kagome had first caught her. Not as much as Sesshoumaru, but there was definite growth.

That wasn't nearly as surprising as the abandoned (and non-'mon-league-sanctioned, according to the sign) gym that she found not ten minutes further down the road after that battle though.

Kagome called on Spearow to lift her over the very high fence, and from that bird's-eye-view, couldn't help but be impressed by the amount of damage done to what had clearly once been the battling arena.

"Let's go down," Kagome called up to Spearow (she was dangling by her hands again). "I want to see what's in that tent."

"Spear," the 'mon answered, and jerked his head at the horizon.

Kagome looked up. The sun was setting. "Well, we might as well bunk down for the night in the tent," she suggested. "It's not like it will hurt us to camp in a tent, rather than under the stars without any cover," she pointed out.

"Spear," the 'mon agreed, and began a gradual descent until Kagome could touch her feet on the ground.

Kagome stroked Spearow's head in gratitude, and then walked into the tent. She promptly whistled in appreciation. "This is _my_ kind of gym," she stated. "This isn't just a gym where trainers challenge gym leaders for a badge. This is a place where the 'mon actually trained, where they worked hard to become stronger. Oh we are _so_ staying here for at _least_ a few days!" Kagome proclaimed happily, and released all of her 'mon from their balls.

It was Vulpix who made the next major discovery. She was nosing an odd little contraption that had been left lying on the ground, only for it to suddenly snap around her neck and limbs and pull her into a curled-up ball-shape with her tail sticking out.

"Vulpix!" Kagome yelped, and hurried over to investigate, her other 'mon close behind. If it was a trap... Kagome inspected the device and sighed. "It's a resistance training device," she said with a smile. "The idea is that you work against the pull of it and behave naturally even with it on. It makes you stronger."

"Vulp," Vulpix moaned softly from her uncomfortable position.

Kagome chuckled. "I'll _loosen_ it, but only so it isn't pulling so hard. We'll work up to this amount of pull, and then I'm going to see if I can find some more of these things," she said as she worked to loosen the device that was strapped around her 'mon. "I think we'd all benefit."

"Seel?"

Kagome chuckled. "Yeah, that means I intend to wear one as well," she answered, and rubbed the 'mon around his horn. "Sesshoumaru, Kilala and Spearow can tell you, I did all the exercises I put them through that I physically could as well. Maybe I didn't practice drill pecks, or lighting myself on fire, but I did as much as I could. After all, I wouldn't want to embarrass all of you by being a weak trainer when you're all getting so strong," she explained fondly.

No, she did _not_ want to be thought of as weak. Ever.

~oOo~

Kagome and her team had been squatting in the abandoned gym for a week when they heard someone push open the gate, and then the voice of a person talking, possibly to themselves, possibly to a 'mon or another person, as they approached the tent.

"I don't even know how we managed to go two weeks without noticing we'd forgotten – hey," the owner of the voice was a boy, maybe a bit older than Kagome, with the front part of his hair styled into green spikes. "Who're you?"

"Kagome, nice to meet you," she answered. "Is this your place?"

"Yeah," the guy answered. "But with our one-hundred wins, we didn't need the place any more, decided we were ready to leave on our journey to start collecting gym badges. I'm A.J"

Kagome nodded. "A.J's Gym," she recalled the sign out front had said. "I hope you don't mind, but I've been taking advantage of the excellent facilities you left behind."

"So I see," A.J observed, and raised an eyebrow in surprise as he noticed that Kagome was wearing one of his strength intensifiers.

She had it on over her shirt, but under her skirt, so that she wasn't being indecent.

"You know those are meant for 'mon," he said, and pointed to his invention. "Not people."

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, I'd figured," she answered, "but I'm all for leading by example, and it's not like it's doing me any harm."

"Not a bad trainin' method I suppose," A.J allowed with an approving nod. "I suppose you've been takin' advantage of some of the food I left behind as well?" he asked.

Kagome shook her head. "Your 'mon mixes were all very clearly labelled, and, well," she said, and waved her hand for A.J to see what sort of 'mon she had.

He blinked. "I see," he said. "I don't have food mixes for those sorts of 'mon," he agreed. "I don't even recognise your big one," he admitted.

Kagome smiled brightly. "He's definitely a one-of-a-kind so far!" she said happily. For the sake of the Beedrill population, that was probably a good thing. "This is Sesshoumaru, Kilala, Spearow, Vulpix and Seel."

"My Sandshrew," A.J presented with a proud gesture to the 'mon at his side. "My other 'mon are in their pokeballs. Now, if you don't mind, I only came back because I forgot a thing or two. I gotta get back on the road."

Kagome nodded. "I was going to clear out tomorrow anyway," she answered. "You know, I've had at least one trainer knocking on the gate every day calling out that they'd be your hundred-and-first challenger, and the first to beat you? I've battled them instead, but... it might be a thought to put a 'closed' sign or something on the gate."

A.J chuckled. "Yeah, it might," he agreed. "How was battling on the busted-up arena?"

Kagome shrugged. "We moved the battle ground to outside the fence, left of the gate," she answered. "Rather than risk the fall."

"Well, I hope you won't be offended, but I really do have to get back on the move, so if you want to challenge me, I don't have time today," A.J said.

Kagome shook her head. "So far, I'm undefeated too, and I'd hate to see either of our streaks broken yet," she said with a cheeky smile.

A.J laughed at her.

~oOo~

Kagome _did_ leave A.J's gym the next day, and wandered directly through a good bit of woodlands until she hit a trail that would take her to route twenty-four, and then Vermilion City. Except that, just as she hit the trail, she saw a trainer (blue hair, goggles, pink shirt, fake cowboy vest, red scarf tied around his neck, white cowboy boots) telling his Charmander to get up on a massive boulder.

"An' stay there until I come back for ya," the trainer ordered.

Kagome frowned and released Sesshoumaru from his ball, aiming for just beyond the rock, so that he'd block the trainer from leaving.

"What kind of 'mon -?!" the guy yelped, but there was a hungry look in his eye as he reached for a pokeball.

"Sesshoumaru is mine," Kagome answered firmly.

"An' who're you?"

"It's _manners_ to give your own name before demanding the name of someone else," Kagome said with an arched eyebrow.

"I'm Damien," the trainer answered with a superior smirk.

"Kagome," she responded.

"You lookin' for a 'mon battle, Kagome?"

"That depends," Kagome said. "Do you intend to actually _ever_ come back for your Charmander? Because what I just saw? That reeks of abandonment, irresponsibility, and _cruelty_ to 'mon."  
"Wha' chu talkin' 'bout? Cruelty to 'mon?"

"To leave a Charmander as exposed to the elements as the top of that rock? That's just asking for his flame to go out. If it were a training method, it would be strictly supervised by the trainer to ensure that such a thing doesn't happen," Kagome said firmly.

Damien scowled. "What does it matter?" he demanded with a scoff. "That Charmander is too weak to be of use to anyone. It sure ain't of any to me! What's wrong with dumping off a weak 'mon anyway?"

"Char?" the Charmander asked softly, sadly, and clearly very hurt.

"Oh, _so_ many things," Kagome said darkly.

Sesshoumaru echoed her by growling deeply from behind the no-good trainer.

"Now, it's against the general rules of polite society to battle with 'mon over personal differences, but Sesshoumaru seems to have rather taken exception to your philosophy of it being alright to _abandon_ your 'mon because you can't be bothered actually putting in the effort to help them grow stronger," Kagome said conversationally.

"Too right I can't. Raising a 'mon is the most _borin_' part of the job," Damien agreed, even as he started to back away from Sesshoumaru nervously.

"Which only proves that you're a pathetic trainer," Kagome dismissed. "Sesshoumaru, don't eat him, you'd get indigestion."

Sesshoumaru inclined his head in understanding even as he peeled back his lips over his teeth, revealing all the sharp pearly whites lined up in his jaws. He parted them just slightly. Acidic drool started to fall from between his teeth.

Kagome climbed up the rock to Charmander. "Hey," she said softly. "Looks like you were really unlucky with the trainer you got," she observed gently.

"Char," the little 'mon agreed sadly.

"Well, would you like to hang out here for a while, see if someone else comes along and tries to catch you? Or... would you like to maybe come with me?" Kagome suggested.

Charmander looked down at the large boulder he was sitting on, clearly thinking about it.

"Will this trail take us to route twenty-four and Vermilion City?" a female voice asked from just a little way up the road. A voice Kagome had heard before.

"According to my calculations it does," a much more familiar, male voice said.

"Or hey, you could go with these guys that are coming," Kagome suggested with a smile. "I know they'd care for you. I grew up in the same town as one of them, and we were _all_ taught by Professor Oak to respect our 'mon."

"Char?"

"Hey, Kagome, fancy seeing you here!" Ash called out. "Uh, what's going on here?"

"Ash, this is Damien," Kagome presented with a negligent wave in the general direction of where Sesshoumaru was growling. "I stumbled upon him in the act of abandoning his Charmander."

"That's _not_ cool," a new guy said. A guy who... looked a lot like Gym Leader Flint from Pewter City, actually.

"Are you... Brock? From Pewter City?" Kagome guessed.

"I am," Brock answered. "And who might you be Miss?"

"Kagome Higurashi, pleased to meet you," she answered with a smile, then collected Charmander up in her arms gently and hopped down from the boulder.

"Uh, Kagome?" Ash asked, with a tremor in his voice. "Is that... Sesshoumaru?" he asked, and pointed past her to the massive 'mon that was still drooling acid and growling at Damien.

"Yep!" Kagome chirped happily in answer.

"He's, uh, sure grown," Ash observed.

Misty blinked at the size of the 'mon as well. "Yeah," she agreed. "He was this cute little puppy when we met, and now he could carry a rider if he wanted to!"

Kagome giggled into one hand, and refrained from telling them that sometimes Sesshoumaru actually _did_ oblige her and carry her on his back. "Well, that's beside the point right now. Charmander here clearly needs a more dedicated trainer. What do you think Charmander? We're all trainers, and we'd all love to have you on our teams. Who do you like the look of?"

"Char?" Charmander asked, uncertainly.

"Pika!" Pikachu answered with an enthusiastic nod. "Pi pi, chau. Chu chu, pi-_ka_!"

"Char mander," Charmander answered, and hopped down from Kagome's arms. He looked around at all the trainers and finally walked up to Misty.

"Me?" the red-head asked, pointing to herself, surprised. "But... water 'mon are my speciality. I don't really know how to take care of a _fire_ 'mon."

"Char?" Charmander asked.

Misty sighed. "Well, I guess I'm gonna learn," she said with a smile, and bent down to pick up Charmander in her arms. "Welcome aboard."

"Char!" Charmander cheered happily, and hugged her back.

"Aw, I wanted him," Ash grouched with a pout.

"Pikachu," Pikachu reprimanded softly.

Ash smiled back at his 'mon and picked Pikachu up in his arms as well. "You're right Pikachu," he agreed. "Well, let's keep moving. It's a while yet until we reach Vermilion City."

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome called, and held out the pokeball.

Sesshoumaru turned from where he'd been drooling over Damien and accepted the summons. With his great white form out of the way, it was possible to see now that his acid drool had made Damien bald, as well as eaten through his shirt and destroyed his scarf.

They left him cowering on the road as they continued on to the 'Mon Centre.

~oOo~

"So, Kagome," Brock said as they travelled down route twenty-four the next day – Ash, Pikachu and Misty were walking a bit further ahead, Ash humming the theme-song that preculded the 'Mon League being shown on television. "I've never seen a 'mon like your Sesshoumaru before."

"You probably never will again," Kagome answered with a smile. "Sesshoumaru is a one of a kind, and he was a gift from a friend."

"A breeder?" Brock guessed. "You never know, he might have more of the same 'mon."

Kagome laughed and shook her head. "Oh no, definitely not a breeder," she said. "I was led to Sesshoumaru's egg by the patron 'mon of my family's shrine."

"Oh," Brock said, and stopped for a moment as he figured that out in his head. It was just as well that he had stopped, because up ahead, Ash, Misty and Pikachu fell into a pit-trap that someone had dug in the middle of the road. The crashing noise of the trap collapsing under them snapped Brock out of his contemplation, and had both he and Kagome running over to the edge.

"Are you three okay?" Kagome called down.

"No," Misty answered back unhappily. "Who would dig a hole here?"

"It must be a prank," Brock said, and started sifting through his pokeballs.

"Someone has a bad sense of humour," Misty answered him firmly as she stood. "I'm so sick of falling into holes!" she yelled, letting the world know just how sick of it she was.

"Who would play such a rotten trick?" Ash asked with a groan as he pulled himself up onto his feet and picked up Pikachu, checking for injuries.

"Squirtle, squirtle squirtle!" came a seeming answer from behind Brock and Kagome.

The pair turned to find a group of laughing Squirtle, all wearing sunglasses, and apparently the perpetrators of the pit-gag.

"What's so funny?" Brock demanded as Kagome helped Misty out of the hole.

"Yeah, we could have been hurt!" Misty added angrily once she was out.

Ash had been hauling himself out while Kagome was helping Misty, Pikachu on his shoulder as he hauled himself out. "Dangerous practical jokes are nothing to laugh about!" he snapped.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed with a solemn nod.

Ash pulled out his 'dex and listened to it recite the details on Squirtle. Never mind that he should have known at least a few details about this 'mon when he had requested it (and been denied, since someone else had received it before him) to be his starter not that long ago.

"It would be so awesome to have a Squirtle," Ash said when the 'dex was silent again.

"It sure would," Misty agreed with a sigh. "Squirtles are the quintessential water 'mon."

"Heck, I specialise in rock-types and even I wouldn't mind having a Squirtle on my team," Brock agreed.

"Pikachu? Whadda ya say? Shall we catch some Squirtle?" Ash asked with a smile.

"Pika!" Pikachu answered, and stepped up. The first flash of electricity was aimed at the central Squirtle, the only Squirtle not wearing _round_ sunglasses, and the clear leader of the group.

One of the other Squirtles stepped between the attack and his leader, taking the hit.

Despite his surprise at the self-sacrifice, Ash took the opportunity, and though it wasn't the Squirtle that Pikachu had originally aimed for, he'd take it. Electric attacks against water-type 'mon meant that the Squirtle didn't have it in him to fight his way out of the pokeball, so Ash finally got his Squirtle, even if the ball immediately vanished away to Professor Oak's lab.

"Lend a hand?" Brock requested to Pikachu.

"Chu!" Pikachu agreed, and sent another shock out, again aiming for the leader, again blocked by one of the other Squirtle.

Brock lobbed his own pokeball at the downed 'mon, and another of the 'mon gang was successfully captured.

"Pretty please, Pikachu?" Misty requested hopefully.

"What is this? Free service?" Ash asked, even as Pikachu obliged the red-head and allowed her to capture another of the subordinate Squirtles.

There remained free only the leader and one other.

"Pi pi, chu?" Pikachu asked, and it was clear he was asking Kagome.

She shook her head. "Thanks for the offer Pikachu," she answered, "but... you know what, you guys all go on ahead, I'll meet up with you in town."

The other three all shared a confused look, and Ash shrugged, but they agreed, and continued on down the road.

Kagome knelt down to face the two remaining Squirtle. "If I caught either one of you, the other would be left behind," she said plainly, "but as it stands, if I don't, then you two are being left behind while three of your friends are off being trained by Ash, Brock and Misty."

"Squirtle, squirt," the two Squirtle answered with a sort of melancholy, as though they already knew what it was to be left behind.

"If you want to come with me, or go your own way, I'm going to leave it completely up to each of you, and I'm not going to try and sway you one way or another," Kagome said plainly. "But what I _am_ going to do, is let the 'mon that are already part of my team come out of their pokeballs, and you can talk to them about the sorts of things you can expect if you decide to come with me. Okay?"

"Squirtle," the leader answered with a nod.

Kagome released her 'mon.

A scant few minutes later, the sound of a siren echoed up to them, and the roar of a motorbike engine.

"Is everything okay here?" the policewoman asked.

"More or less, Officer... Jenny?" Kagome guessed.

"Have we met before? Your face doesn't look familiar," the woman questioned as she blinked in surprise.

Kagome shook her head. "I've met a couple of other Officer Jenny's before," she admitted. "It was a guess."

Officer Jenny laughed. "Good guess," she congratulated. "My identical cousins are all police officers like me, and we're all called Jenny. Now, what did you mean by 'more or less'?"  
"This Squirtle," Kagome said, and gestured to the only remaining Squirtle with round sunglasses, "has talked to my 'mon and decided that he thinks my training methods are a bit too strange for him, though his friend," and here Kagome gestured to the Squirtle leader, "has expressed an interest in coming with me. I don't like the idea of leaving this Squirtle on his own though," Kagome finished, and lay a gentle hand on the Squirtle who didn't want to come with her.

Officer Jenny blinked in surprise again. "What happened to the rest of the Squirtle Squad?" she asked.

"Some friends of mine caught them," Kagome answered simply.

"Oh, well," Officer Jenny dismounted from her motorcycle and knelt down in front of the last Squirtle. "If you want, I could always use a helper, someone to back me up when I've got to deal with trouble. What do you think of being a police-Squirtle?"

"Squirtle?" the 'mon asked, surprised. Then he grinned. "Squirtle!" he answered enthusiastically.

Kagome laughed and clapped happily. "Well good!" she said. "No one is being left behind. Squirtle? Welcome to the family," Kagome said, and held out a pokeball to the Squirtle who had decided to take a chance on her.


	5. Chapter 5

"Yo! Kagome!"

Kagome turned. "Gary," she greeted. "What a surprise... to see you without your cheer-squad," she noted wryly.

Gary shrugged helplessly. "They scare off the wild 'mon," he explained. "So really, what could I do? I told them to go ahead to Celadon City and wait for me there. What are you doing out this way?"

Kagome gave a crooked smile in return. "Well, I met Ash near the 'Mon Centre on route twenty-four, and we came this way together, but he went on ahead after he caught a Squirtle," she answered.

"He _what_?!" Gary yelped. "But wild Squirtles are hard to find, how did he -?!"

Kagome laughed. "Oh relax Gary," she told him. "It wasn't a _wild_ Squirtle. It was an _abandoned_ Squirtle."

Gary frowned. "How could anybody abandon their Squirtle?" he asked softly, and pulled a pokeball from where he kept them attached to his belt. "A Squirtle is an _awesome_ 'mon."

"Your starter?" she asked.

Gary nodded. "The best one."

Kagome smirked. "Ash wanted the Squirtle for his starter," she said, "but he seems happy enough with having started with Pikachu instead."

"A Pikachu?" Gary repeated, surprised. "I didn't think Gramps gave those out as starter 'mon."

Kagome shrugged. "It was a Pikachu or nothing," Kagome explained. "I'm lucky that, even though I was late, I already _had_ my 'mon."

"Yeah?" Gary asked, interested. "How'd you swing that?"

"I'm special that way," Kagome said, and waved the question off.

"Yeah, you're special alright," Gary quipped under his breath.

Kagome's eyebrow twitched as her smile slipped into a scowl. "You want to repeat that, Acorn?" she growled.

"I'm not an acorn!" Gary snapped back.

"You have a Grandfather Oak, and all the successive generations are nothing but Acorns until they grow up and prove otherwise," Kagome said firmly.

Gary sneered. "And how many 'mon have you caught?" he asked. "I've got forty-five," he bragged.

"Six," Kagome answered plainly and without the heat of competition. "But I've been focusing more on building up their strength than collecting as many as possible."

"Hah!" Gary scoffed. "I'll bet you don't even have a Beedrill!"

"Of course I don't," Kagome answered easily. "They just don't _survive_ encounters with my 'mon," she said, and would have gone on to explain why when she saw a little 'mon in the grass that she wanted on her team. Had since she heard of them. "Well, I'll see you around Gary!" Kagome said, and released her Spearow.

"Woah!" Gary yelped, shocked, and even fell on his rear in surprise as he backed away from the 'mon that was as tall as him – and really shouldn't have been. "Spearow aren't supposed to grow that big!" he objected. "That's bigger than a Fearow!"

Kagome smirked. "Spearow, the Eevee, if you please!" she called.

"Spear!"

"Vee?" the wild 'mon answered, surprised, only to be scooped up in the claws of the over-sized 'mon. "Vee!" she cried in fear. "Vee, vee vee!"

"Spear!" Spearow crowed, and with Eevee still in his claws, began to dive sharply, as though aiming a drill-peck at the ground.

The tiny little 'mon passed out five feet from the ground, terrified of the landing, at which point Spearow pulled sharply out of the dive and back up into the sky.

Kagome held up an empty pokeball, and Spearow released the Eevee towards her. Kagome threw the ball at the falling 'mon. The ball caught the 'mon, Kagome caught the ball, and Spearow landed just in time for the new team-mate to disappear off to Professor Oak's lab.

Kagome sighed. "Dammit," she complained quietly to herself. "Why is it that our 'mon _have_ to go back? Chumps who just decided to start being trainers one day, and bought some pokeballs don't have that issue, even if there are the official league restrictions for competitions, they still get to _carry_ as many of their 'mon as they like."

"Spear," Spearow offered comfortingly, and butted his head gently against Kagome's.

Kagome smiled. "Thanks Spearow. Well, we'd better keep going," she said, and recalled her 'mon to his ball.

With Eevee caught, Kagome continued down the road, not at all minding that Gary Oak was still on his rear in the dirt, trying to figure out how Kagome had gotten her 'mon to grow to such incredible sizes.

Spearows were only supposed to be a foot tall, after all.

~oOo~

Kagome sighed and stretched happily as she stepped out onto the beach she had camped near the previous night. She'd spotted it, but it had been late, and she did know better than to sleep somewhere that the _tide_ could wash her camp-site away, so visiting the beach had been her goal for the morning.

"Oh yeah," she commented to herself, and happily released all her 'mon from their pokeballs. "It's a play-day everybody!" she called out. "And you _all_ know how to swim, but still, don't go out _too_ far, just in case, alright?"

A chorus of positive noises and nods answered her, and as the play day wore on, Kagome saw more than just _her_ 'mon out on the beach playing. There was a whole colony of Krabby, a school of Goldeen, a minor herd of Horsea, a few Staryu, a mess of Magikarp, a Golduck, and (much more rare and surprising) a Lapras.

Seel introduced the Golduck to her, and Sesshoumaru nudged the Lapras over as well, and Kagome was absolutely thrilled to have both of them join her team. Of course, two of their number being caught spooked the other wild 'mon, and they scattered.

"Well," Kagome said to her somewhat saddened 'mon, "it was time for lunch anyway, and then how about we all go and check out the lighthouse?" she suggested, and pointed to the tall building on the promontory just a short way off (as Spearow flew, anyway).

The plan was agreed to, though her 'mon were all a bit sad to have lost the company of all the other 'mon they'd played with all morning. After lunch, Kagome lined up her 'mon and decided who would get how much of a handicap for the race to the lighthouse.

Seel, not having legs, would swim as much of the distance as he could before he'd take to the land, ("But we're going to work on your land-speed," Kagome promised) and Squirtle, presently the smallest and with the shortest legs, would have the largest head-start. Vulpix and Kilala were both rapidly approaching the size of a Ninetails, and would start at the same time as each other, which just left Sesshoumaru and Spearow – one of which would carry Kagome, and the other of which would start last.

"And _no_ dirty tricks," Kagome warned. "No sabotaging the race. This is purely a speed exercise. You don't have to stick to the path, just take the most direct route, but no interfering with the other racers."

When they all reached the doors of the lighthouse (Seel and Squirtle bringing up the rear, even though they'd started first), it was about mid-afternoon. Kagome congratulated all of her 'mon on doing as well as they had, and then returned them to their balls before she rang the doorbell.

"That's not creepy at all," she muttered sarcastically to herself as the eerie tone that, actually, sounded a good deal like church-bells.

"Who's there?" a voice, male, demanded through the intercom.

"Kagome Higurashi, 'mon trainer and miko," Kagome answered. "May I come in?"

"A 'mon miko? Really? How fascinating! Please, do come in," the voice answered, and (just to add to the creepy effect, even though it was broad daylight), the massive lighthouse doors swung in on their own, revealing a dark, windowless entryway. "I don't suppose you can cook as well? Only, I've been eating nothing but tofu since my cook went on holiday."

Kagome giggled. "I make a mean omelette," she answered, "and I've gotten pretty good at campfire cooking, things like fish-on-a-stick and boiling water for freeze-dried stuff that I carry with me."

The still body-less voice sighed. "Better than tofu," he stated plainly. "Also, could I bother you to lend me a hand?" the voice asked, and suddenly the lights came up inside.

Kagome blinked at the giant Kabuto that was standing at the top of the stairs.

"I'm afraid I'm stuck in this costume. The arms are too short to reach the release button, an unfortunate miscalculation," the Kabuto-that-actually-wasn't explained, and flailed the short arms for emphasis.

Kagome hurried up. "This button?" she asked, a finger hovering a scant inch away from a blue button that was below one of the arms.

"That's the one."

Kagome pressed it.

"Thank you so much, oh, I'm Bill," the man said, finally introducing himself. "I'm a 'mon researcher. I was using that costume to try and get inside the head of the Kabuto."

"Literally," Kagome noted with amusement. "Do you _only_ do this for the extinct 'mon, or do you try and do the same for the 'mon that are still with us today?"

"Oh all sorts of 'mon," Bill answered, "but particularly the extinct 'mon recently. Though... Miss Higurashi, I have been blessed recently to hear the call of a mysterious 'mon through the fog. I made a recording, and I believe the 'mon is lonely, seeking a friend. I've been broadcasting an answer, saying that I want to meet this 'mon and be its friend, but... perhaps if you lent your spiritual gifts when I send it out tonight? I might truly get an answer."

"I make no promises," Kagome warned. "I can't do much about a 'mon if it isn't right in front of me. I _am_ still learning about my miko gifts myself."

Bill sagged a little. "Oh," he lamented softly.

Kagome lay a hand on Bill's shoulder. "But if you want to study a rare 'mon, I've got a couple who wouldn't mind being admired," she offered with a smile and lifted Sesshoumaru's and Kilala's pokeballs.

"Oh thank you!" Bill answered happily. "Please, by all means!"

The next few hours were passed as Bill asked questions. Kagome did her best to answer them, and when Bill asked to see the rest of her team, she obliged. He was _most_ impressed with the growth Kagome's 'mon displayed, though neither of them could explain how it happened, and the excellent condition they were in apart from that.

Then the doorbell rang again.

Kagome recognised Ash when he said they had a minor emergency and needed to use the phone, Misty who requested a bed for the night, and Brock who said he would like to borrow the kitchen – and was willing to make some bacon-double-cheese-burgers for their host too, if he would let them in.

It was the offer of food that wouldn't include tofu that really got them in the door.

"Please, may I use your phone?" Ash called out once they were in the entryway.

"It's right there," Bill answered, not being drawn from his study of the pattern on Squirtle's shell (apparently, each Squirtle shell was different, just like a human fingerprint).

"A video-phone, that's convenient," Misty observed.

Kagome quietly excused herself from Bill's company to drift over to the others as Ash called Professor Oak. Apparently, he was deeply concerned for his Krabby – a recently caught 'mon that had just been transported to the Professor's lab.

"Ah, Professor Oak, you're not eating my Krabby are you?" Ash wailed when he called, only to find the man cooking his dinner. Apparently, that was the emergency. Ash didn't trust the old man with a 'mon that potentially fell into the category of 'seafood'.

"Of course not Ash," Professor Oak answered with a chuckle. "I'm taking very good care of your Krabby, just like your other 'mon. See?" he said, and moved to the side so that Ash could see his Krabby in a fish-bowl on the table behind Professor Oak. "Of course, even if the Krabby wasn't _yours_ to start with, it's much too small to make a very hearty meal. Now, my grandson Gary's Krabby, that's a different matter," he said.

"Oh, Gary caught a Krabby too?" Ash asked, despondent.

"Oh yes," Processor Oak answered, "it's quite a catch. Take a look for yourself," he said, and turned the camera slightly so that Ash (and Brock, Misty and Kagome who were all looking over his shoulder) could see the _much_ larger Krabby. "By the way Ash, I want you to know that Gary has already caught forty-five 'mon."

"Forty-five!" Ash lamented. "I've only caught nine."

"I'd say you shouldn't worry about it, that you should go for quality over quantity," Kagome said, surprising them all, since they hadn't known she was there, "but the comparison of the two Krabby kind of implies that you're not scoring too high with either."

"Oh, Kagome, hello!" Professor Oak greeted. "You seem to have grown a fair bit since I saw you last, and I must say, you do send me interesting 'mon."

"I'd rather carry them with me Professor," Kagome answered frankly.

"League rules state that a trainer may carry _six_," Professor Oak said. "The maximum permitted in any battle."

Kagome shook her head. "Not for battling Professor, but for training," she explained. "I train my 'mon all together."

"Ah, well, I'm afraid there's still no getting around the limitations," Professor Oak apologised. "You'll just have to rotate your 'mon through regularly. You should be aware that you haven't caught very many 'mon either, Kagome," he added in gentle reprimand.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "I _am_ going for quality over quantity," she stated flatly. "I see no merit in catching every 'mon I see like they're _things_ to _collect_."

Professor Oak coughed at the girl's reprimand of his reprimand. "Ah, indeed. Still, it might be an idea for you to try catching a few more. Now Ash, where are you calling me from anyway?"

"Bill's lighthouse," Kagome answered before Ash could.

"Hello Professor," Bill called out.

"Oh Bill! Please teach my friends as much as you can about 'mon?" Professor Oak requested.

"I couldn't possibly refuse you, Professor Oak," Bill answered.

~oOo~

"It's the 'mon!" Bill cried, thrilled, when they were all out on the walkway at the top of the lighthouse. "The signal! Miss Higurashi, if you would please -?"

"On it," Kagome said with a nod. She brought her hands together to aid her concentration as she gathered her powers and began to chant under her breath, an extension of calm, of peace, of friendship. As the 'mon got closer, Kagome's eyes widened in recognition. This 'mon hadn't ever come to the shrine, but Mew had told her about this 'mon, and had introduced Kagome to one of the offspring of this great 'mon.

"The Dragonite Ancestor," Kagome breathed.

"The what?" Ash questioned.

"This Dragonite is the mother of all Dratini, Dragonairs and Dragonites in the world today," Kagome explained. "She cries in loneliness because... because her mate is dead."

"How do you know all that?" Misty asked, awed by the knowledge and moved by the sad story.

"I was raised to know such things," Kagome answered vaguely. She couldn't tell them about Mew, but letting them believe that her knowledge had to do with her miko powers was something she could do.

Then explosions launched themselves from the cliff-face.

Kagome immediately cut off her spell and let her energies radiate confusion and fear – for the 'mon, rather than herself. Emotions that she was genuinely feeling. Bill had already indicated that he had no wish to capture the giant 'mon that he had recorded the song of, which meant that someone else was attacking the 'mon.

The giant Dragonite swiped at the cliffs, and three voices yelled in distress as they were launched away.

Kagome bit her lip in thought, then launched a pokeball and jumped over the fence.

"Wha-?! Kagome, what are you doing?" Brock yelled, distressed.

Kagome rose up on Spearow's back quickly.

"Wow that's a big Spearow," Misty noted, stunned.

"That... that's the Spearow that attacked Pikachu on the first day of our 'mon journey," Ash told her nervously.

"Ancestor!" Kagome called out from her Spearow's back. "Would you accept my friendship?"

The great Dragonite extended a hand, and Spearow landed on it.

Kagome climbed off his back and onto the Dragonite's _other_ hand, which was then used to lift Kagome up to a level with the Dragonite's face. "I have been fortunate to meet others of your contemporaries," Kagome said softly, so that only the Dragonite would hear her. "I have met Ho-Oh, I have met Suicune, Entei, and Raikou, and many more thanks to Mew. Mew who was my first friend in my childhood, who lives in the forest around my family shrine."

The Dragonite nodded slowly, and lowered Kagome back down to climb on Spearow's back. The pair took off, and Kagome threw the pokeball.

"She's actually trying to _catch it_?!" Ash exclaimed, loudly, through the fog. "How is a 'mon _that big_ going to fit into a tiny pokeball?"

"Actually, the science behind how pokeballs work is fascinating," Bill answered, a little numb himself at the prospect of this great 'mon being captured.

"How's that for more 'mon, Professor Oak?" Kagome asked the fog with a chuckle as the pokeball vanished from her hand and Spearow took her back to the lighthouse.

"You... you caught it..." Bill said, eyes wide. "I have to go to Professor Oak's laboratory right away!"

The phone was ringing when they returned inside.

Bill answered it, a little impatiently, but he answered it nonetheless.

"Bill, hello," Professor Oak greeted. "Is Kagome still there?"

"I'm here Professor," Kagome answered and skipped up to the phone.

"Kagome, your new 'mon, impressive as it is, has damaged my laboratory with its arrival," Professor Oak stated unhappily.

Kagome smiled. "If you would be kind enough to escort her to my family's shrine Professor? There will be more room out there for her, and it's still within walking-distance of your lab."

"Professor Oak, I hope you won't mind having a visitor. I have been hoping to meet that 'mon for some time now," Bill said.

"By all means, please," Professor Oak agreed. "I'm quite looking forward to studying it myself, but it did just destroy a wall."

"She," Kagome corrected. "_She_, Professor, not _it_."

~oOo~

A.J's non-league-sanctioned gym wasn't the _only_ minor gym to be found in the Kanto region, there were others as well, and gyms that _were_ sanctioned by the League to give out badges. Kagome had stopped by the small gym in the equally small town where she'd caught the Squirtle. The gym leader had used Slowpoke and Snorlax, each of which had been defeated by Kagome's Spearow and Sesshoumaru respectively. That had earned her a Bell Badge.

There had been another, out in the middle of nearly nowhere, just before Kagome had stopped at the beach and met Bill in his lighthouse, and the place had _really_ given her the creeps. All along her miko-senses, the place had set her on edge. But Vulpix had defeated the Pinsir, and Sesshoumaru had left the Naraku (a nasty spider-type 'mon) a little more than half-dead in the middle of the battle arena, and Kagome had gotten out of there the instant she had her Onigumo Badge.

From Bill's lighthouse though, Kagome agreed to travel with Brock, Misty and Ash for a while, and (for reasons beyond Kagome's comprehension) they were travelling as quickly and as directly as they could to Vermilion City.  
"Really," Kagome said as they walked. "Slow down, stop and smell the flowers, actually look for the 'mon that live around here."

"Huh?" Ash asked. "There are 'mon around here?" he repeated, and looked from side to side, trying to spot them.

Kagome sighed and pointed to a patch of long grass. "See that plant in the long grass?"

"It looks like some flower that isn't in bloom," Ash answered.

"It's an Oddish," Kagome corrected. "And that yellow flower near it? That's a Bellsprout. The two white things sticking up like grass seed-heads? Those are a Venonat's antenna."

"I gotta catch 'em!" Ash enthused. "Pikachu, thunderbolt all three of 'em!"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed. "Chuu!"

Ash threw his pokeballs, one, two, three, at each of the 'mon that Pikachu had hit with his thunderbolt. Three more 'mon caught, and the balls vanished away to Professor Oak's lab.

"Yes!" Ash cheered. "I caught three more 'mon!"

"I'm impressed," Misty admitted. "Every 'mon I've seen Ash catch before practically _let_ him catch them. Even the Squirtle. Maybe he _does_ have what it takes to be a 'mon trainer."

For herself, Kagome had spotted an Abra and silently thrown a pokeball. It was no good trying to attack these little 'mon, they'd just teleport away. Kagome didn't wait for the light on the ball to dim, indicating that the catch was successful. She ran straight to it, picked it up, and sent her miko powers into the ball. The Abra was not getting away from her except to be delivered to Professor Oak.

Since Ash was making so much noise, no one even noticed Kagome's capture, and then they were on their way again.


	6. Chapter 6

"This looks like a good place to set up camp," Kagome said with a smile – a smile that was particularly directed at a large boulder that stood prominently off the side of the road, thick, soft grass all around.

"Not camping out _again_," Misty complained. "I'm so sick of sleeping in a sleeping bag! And I want a real _bath_! Kagome, how can you be smiling like that? I don't see how you've gone as long as you have without a real bed or a chance to get properly – hang on. You _are_ properly clean! When did _you_ get to take a bath? It's been three days since we got to stay at Bill's lighthouse!"

"Now that I think about it, Kagome has always ducked off while we've been setting up camp," Brock commented.

"You mean she disappears after you've cooked something for dinner and we don't see her again until breakfast," Ash corrected.

Kagome released her 'mon from their balls. Sesshoumaru and Spearow immediately moved to the massive boulder and started carving at it – Sesshoumaru with his acid claws, Spearow with his drill-peck. Eevee (Kagome had traded the small, but growing, 'mon into her team for training) dug a pit at the base of the further side of the nearest large tree, while Abra (also traded for training) teleported around collecting large lumps of wood. Squirtle and Kilala drilled in callisthenics.

At least, they were until Sesshoumaru and Spearow stepped away from the boulder, having carved out a descent-sized hollow. Squirtle took a break from his jumping-jacks to fill the hollow with water, using his water-gun.

"Alright Eevee," Kagome said. "Swimming lessons for you first," she ordered. "Squirtle, Kilala, work on combining your fire and water attacks so that Sesshoumaru gets soaked with _hot_ water. Sesshoumaru, dodging practice. Spearow, I want you to work with Abra on the callisthenics routine," she said, and held up the strength-intensifiers that A.J had invented – and allowed her to keep a few of. "And all of you see what you can find to eat at the same time, okay? Learn to work with your attention divided between a couple of things."

The 'mon each nodded their assent, and Kagome strapped them all in to the strength-intensifiers, well, all except for Sesshoumaru, but there wasn't a strength-intensifier that was large enough for him. Once that was done, Kagome pulled off her shoes and socks and stepped into the 'pool' that Spearow and Sesshoumaru had made from the boulder.

"Eevee, up," Kagome called.

Eevee obediently jumped up into Kagome's arms, and then was lowered into the water.

"This... is kinda strange," Ash said as he watched.

"Kagome's really taking care of her 'mon," Brock stated. "And Spearow isn't the only one that's larger than statistics say it should be."

"Her 'mon just _made_ a _bath_!" Misty exclaimed. "If they've been doing this every night when Kagome goes off on her own, then I am _so_ mad at her for not sharing!"

"Good girl," Kagome praised a half-hour later. The other three hadn't made any effort to start setting up camp, they'd just stood and stared. "Alright, you go dry off – _dry_, Kilala, not burnt or singed, just _dry_. Abra, your turn in the water!"

"Abra..." the small 'mon answered hesitantly, and teleported to above the water.

Kagome caught him before he could make a splash, and lowered him into the water gently. "Keep your head above the water for now, and just kick. I'll support you," she said softly. "And remember, if you get scared at any time, you can just teleport onto solid ground."

"Abra."

Another half-hour of swimming lesson, and Brock at least had finally started making camp. He found a few smaller stones and arranged them in a ring, then started arranging the wood in the middle. He was just searching his backpack for his matches when Kilala lashed a fire-whip from her tails at the arrangement, catching the wood alight.

"Alright!" Kagome called as she lifted Abra out of the water, then climbed out of the pool herself with him in her arms. "Bath time! Sesshoumaru, that means you stop dodging."

Sesshoumaru looked put-out, but obediently stopped jumping away from the combined attacks of Squirtle and Kilala, allowing himself to be soaked with hot water.

"Spearow, blow-dry!" Kagome called.

Spearow took off and launched a gust attack at Sesshoumaru, forcing all the water out of his fur.

Sesshoumaru shook himself once he was dry, settling all his fur back in place.

"Uh..." Ash hesitated.

Kagome blinked. "You didn't think his beautiful fur stayed that white without regular maintenance, did you?" she asked pointedly. "Kilala, Eevee, Squirtle, come and wash the dust off. Spearow, how are your feathers?"

"Spear, oh," the 'mon answered and showed off his wings.

Kagome hummed. "You don't need a bath tonight then," she decided as Eevee, Kilala and Squirtle climbed into the bath behind her, only for Eevee and Kilala to quickly climb out again and shake themselves off. Squirtle luxuriated a little bit, enjoying his element. "Kilala, would you heat the water please?" Kagome requested.

Misty went starry-eyed. "A bath, a real bath... with hot water and everything..."

"What did you guys find to eat?" Kagome asked Abra in her arms.

He teleported away, and then back again with some leaves, roots, and berries.

"Uh, I have food that they can eat..." Brock said.

Kagome smiled. "And we're all grateful," Kagome agreed, "but I think it's important for them to still look for the foods they'd eat naturally. It's what they're meant to eat after all. Chow is a meal supplement for us, though they _do_ enjoy it. Besides, this also makes the food we have last longer," Kagome explained, then turned to the other girl in the group. "Misty, do you want the bath first?" she offered with an only slightly cheeky smile.

"Do I ever!"

~oOo~

It was another two weeks before they reached Vermilion City, and they were all grateful to see the city gate when they reached it. Even with the food stretching a bit further thanks to Kagome's 'mon finding a good amount by foraging, it had still run out two days before, and they were all a bit hungry.

First stop for them was the 'Mon Centre to get their 'mon checked up, particularly since poor little Pikachu was nearly fainting with hunger. Besides that, there were always facilities at 'Mon Centres for the trainers as well. Hot showers and baths, washing machines to clean their clothes, soft beds, all things that would be welcomed, even if Kagome had figured out a way to have a bath in the wilderness with a little help from her 'mon.

The 'Mon Centre turned out to also be a good place to get some information on the gym leader of Vermilion City.

Nurse Joy (there was one in every 'Mon Centre, it seemed) led them to the intensive care ward while their 'mon were being healed. "They all lost to Lieutenant Surge," she said softly with a sad look at all the beds. "We've had fifteen already this month, and that Rattata on the end came in shortly before you did."

"But it's only the eighth!" Kagome yelped, shocked.

Nurse Joy nodded sadly.

"This Lieutenant Surge must be a really strong trainer," Ash said weakly.

"So Ash, you scared already?" Misty teased.

"What? No way!" Ash objected.

"Well you talk big," Misty said, nose in the air, "but when you see how tough it is to get badges, you turn chicken. Maybe you should just quit now, besides," she said, turning back to him, "the badges you _do_ have you got out of pity."

Kagome frowned, unimpressed at the beginnings of a fight (and Misty _was_ picking a fight, though Kagome couldn't figure out why) and moved off to talk with one of the trainers sitting, concerned, and the bedside of their 'mon.

A trainer that Kagome recognised.

"A.J," Kagome greeted softly. "What happened?"

"My first defeat," A.J answered plainly. "Wouldn't you know it, but Sandshrew caught a cold on the way here and wasn't fit to battle, so I went to the gym with my Beedrill instead," he said and waved his hand at the bandage-covered bug-type 'mon on the bed. "Lieutenant Surge's Raichu just... fried him, like a super-powered bug-zapper. So Beedrill is hurting, and Sandshrew's still got the sniffles, but when Sandshrew is better, we're gonna go back there and _get_ that Thunder Badge."

Kagome nodded and smiled in a supportive way. "I know you will," she agreed.

"Miss Higurashi? Your 'mon are ready," Nurse Joy called.

"Thank you!" she answered. "I'll see you around A.J."

A.J nodded and waved her off, returning his full attention to his Beedrill.

~oOo~

"Don't I even care if you end up like that Pidgey in there, is that it?" Ash asked his Pikachu.

"Pika pika," Pikachu answered with a fervent, nervous nod.

"Yeah," Ash said, "I guess you're right."

"Cha," Pikachu sighed.

"No problem!" Ash declared happily. "You won't end up that way because you'll win!"

Kagome coughed, announcing her presence to the group. "Lieutenant Surge battles with a Raichu," she informed them.

"Huh? How do you know that?" Brock asked, surprised.

"I spoke to one of the trainers in there," Kagome stated with a gesture back towards the intensive care ward.

"A Raichu?" Ash asked, and pulled out his 'dex.

"Raichu, a mouse 'mon of the electric element. Raichu is the evolved form of Pikachu. It can shock with more than one-hundred-thousand volts – enough to render a Dragonite unconscious," the 'dex recited.

Pikachu frowned, suddenly a lot more interested in beating this opponent.

"But look here," Kagome said and brought up a picture of Raichu on her own 'dex to show off. "Do you see the difference between a Raichu's paws, and Pikachu's? That loss of claws prevents Raichu from learning certain moves. If Lieutenant Surge didn't make sure that his 'mon learned them before evolving his Raichu, then Pikachu _can_ have an edge."

"That's a big _if_," Brock pointed out.

"What sort of moves?" Ash asked Kagome.

"Speedy ones," Kagome answered with a smirk. "Pikachu, how do you feel about running rings around your opponent, _literally_?"

"Pikachu," Pikachu agreed solemnly, a fierce expression on his cute little face.

"What about you Kagome?" Misty asked. "Which of your 'mon are you going to pit against Lieutenant Surge?"

Kagome shrugged. "I'll decide when I get there, but I'm leaning towards Squirtle," she answered.

"_What_?!" Misty demanded. "But water-type 'mon are _weak_ against electric-types! Squirtle would end up in the emergency room for sure!"

Kagome shrugged. "Perhaps Spearow then," she suggested as she turned to head for the door.

"Bird-types are weak against electric-types too!" Misty snapped.

~oOo~

"So this is the Vermilion City Gym,"Ash said as they stood in frint of the doors.

"You can tell from the way he's decorated the place that it specialises in electric-type 'mon," Kagome commented, looking it over.

"You know, it's not too late to back out," Misty offered.

"Why should I back out when I'm going to win?" Ash demanded. "Just stick around and watch me."

"I'll stick around to see your face when you get creamed," Misty retorted.

"If you think we're gonna get creamed, you're gonna be disappointed!" Ash snapped.

"Are we ever going to go inside?" Brock asked, an expression on his face like he could barely believe he associated with these two.

"Waiting," Kagome added pointedly, hand on the door and ready to push it open.

"Yeah," Ash agreed, and stepped up.

Kagome pushed the door open, and they went in.

The welcoming party was... not particularly welcoming. A man with a leather vest that had pointed metal studs on the shoulders, a woman with a sweatband across her forehead and dog-tags around her neck, both of them wearing camouflage-print trousers... Yeah, less than friendly-looking.

"Hello," Ash started. "I've come for a 'mon battle to earn this gym's badge."

"Hey Boss," the guy called over his shoulder. "Another victim for the emergency room."

A shadowed figure at the other end of the room stood up. "Which one?" he asked as he walked forward, eventually coming into the light.

Shirt undone to show off how toned he was, dog-tags around his neck, fingerless gloves with studs, big black combat boots, and easily (if not in excess of) seven feet tall... Lieutenant Surge was a very impressive, intimidating figure.

"Is he the gym leader you have to battle?" Misty asked softly, eyes wide.

"Welcome to Vermilion Gym!" Surge said happily, and gave Misty a hug. "Oh, my next challenger's a cute one. Don't think I'll go easy on ya," he warned with a smile.

"Um, excuse me, I'm not the challenger," Misty corrected nervously. The hug had really taken her by surprise.

"You're not?" Surge asked, surprised.

"She isn't. I am," Ash said firmly.

"Oh, you? Okay Baby," Surge said, and set a large hand on Ash's hat-covered head, messing up the hair beneath fondly.

"I'm no baby, my name's Ash Ketchum!" Ash said firmly, pushing the hand away.

"Heh, I call everyone who loses to me 'Baby'," Surge said with a chuckle, and then he noticed... "Heh? Huh, a Pikachu! Hey, lookit this! Baby's brought along a baby 'mon!" he said to his flunkies. They all three of them laughed.

"Pikachu _isn't_ to be laughed at," Ash growled.

"Sure it is," Surge answered, "and I'll show you why." He released his Raichu, confirming what Kagome had heard from A.J about the 'mon of the gym.

"Rai," the 'mon greeted smugly.

"Chau," Pikachu growled at it, so ready to fight.

"If yous want to become a 'mon master, you should make your 'mon evolve as soon as you catch it," Surge explained as he knelt down to pat his Raichu's head.

"There's more to raising a 'mon than forcing it to evolve, and I like this Pikachu just the way he is," Ash answered, laying his own hand on Pikachu's head.

"Wrong Baby," Surge said, and wagged a finger – a motion mimicked by his Raichu. "Electric-type 'mon are only useful once they've mastered all their different electrical attacks. You keep it puny like that, it's not more than a little pet."

"Pika," Pikachu growled, his cheeks sparking.

"We've heard that before," Misty noted softly. "At 'Mon Tech."

"We proved them wrong too," Ash said lowly. "And we came here to win a badge," he stated, standing.

"Oh well," Surge said, and again he and his Raichu had the same pose, arms out in a helpless sort of 'I give up' gesture. "I guess you'll learn that playin' with the big boys can be a shockin' experience."

They moved to the gym's arena.

"The 'mon battle will now begin," one of Surge's friends announced from the side of the ring as lights came up around the arena. "Only one 'mon may be used. The gym leader, Lieutenant Surge, has chosen Raichu. The challenger, Ash, has chosen Pikachu. No time limit. Let the battle begin!"

A bell was rung, like they were in a boxing ring rather than a 'mon battling arena.

"Go Raichu!"

"Rai!"

"Go Pikachu!"

"Pika!"

"Pikachu, thundershock!"

Kagome winced when Raichu was unaffected, and Surge ordered his Raichu to show Ash and Pikachu what a 'real' thundershock looked like. Ash had apparently already forgotten the advice of a little earlier, to be _faster_ than his opponent, rather than more powerful.

"It's over Baby. You didn't really think your Pikachu could beat my Raichu, did you?" Surge asked with a smirk and a chuckle.

"Ash, call Pikachu back! Raichu is too powerful, this is a mis-match!" Brock insisted.

Pikachu picked himself up again and shook his head when Ash looked over at him.

"It's pretty gutsy for a _toy_," Surge noted.

"Pikachu, you're going to have to move _faster_, or you're going to get hit again," Kagome warned.

"Faster, that's right," Ash said, remembering what they'd talked briefly about before they'd left the 'Mon Centre to come here. "Pikachu, agility now!"

"I enjoy playing with toys, but playtime's over," Surge said with a smirk. "Mega punch! Hey what?"

Pikachu was dodging and jumping, avoiding every strike that Raichu sent at him, and when Raichu stopped in confusion, Pikachu sprinted around his opponent.

Raichu tried to follow Pikachu, an attempt which only led to him being made dizzy.

"Your Raichu's way too slow Surge!" Ash called out happily.

"Alright Raichu, let's give it another thunderbolt, shut it down!"

Raichu sent out a thunderbolt alright. The amount of electricity the 'mon put out smashed windows and ripped up the floor, but Pikachu dodged it, and used his tail to ground himself so that he wouldn't be hurt even if he got hit.

"What?" Surge asked, stunned. "Raichu, give it another thunderbolt!"

"Rai!" Raichu answered, only to blink. "Rai!" he tried again, but he was out of electricity after that last awesome display.

"Pikachu, quick attack!"

"Raichu, take-down now!"

Pikachu, being faster, managed to strike first though, and finished off his move with an electrified tail-whip that sent Raichu to the ground.

"Unbelievable!" Surge exclaimed, genuinely shocked at his loss.

"We did it Pikachu!" Ash called out, proud of his 'mon.

"Way to go," Brock congratulated.

"Fantastic!" Misty cheered.

Kagome nodded in quiet approval.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said with a smile, pleased with himself.

"Well, congratulations you two, and as proof of your victory, a Thunder Badge," Surge presented.

"Thank you," Ash answered, and accepted the badge. "Pikachu, _you're_ the one who really earned this badge. Thank you," he said, and picked up his 'mon for a hug.

Pikachu was _much_ more receptive of Ash's hugs _now_ than he was the day they met.

Kagome coughed politely. "I'm guessing that I should come back later if _I_ want to earn a Thunder Badge?" she asked.

Surge chuckled. "Yeah," he agreed. "Need to get Raichu fixed up first, or I'd be battling with a handicap. I don't have any other 'mon for gym battles. I got other arenas, 'cause this happens a fair bit," he admitted with a gesture to the destruction, "but only one Raichu."

Kagome nodded. "Okay. I'll stay at the 'Mon Centre until I hear Raichu is up and healthy again," she decided.


	7. Chapter 7

Ash, Brock and Misty followed her when Kagome returned to Vermilion Gym to battle Surge the next day (Nurse Joy did _great_ work).  
"So, what 'mon are you going to try and beat my Raichu with?" Surge asked. "Do you have a stuffed toy of a 'mon that's gonna pull a victory out of a hat like Ash did yesterday?"

"I'm not sure any of my 'mon qualify for 'stuffed toy'," Kagome answered sweetly.

"I second that," Ash said weakly, recalling how abnormally large her 'mon were. Even her Squirtle, which she had caught really quite recently (he'd caught one at the same time, so he should know), was already as big as a Wartortle.

"And despite Misty's objections," Kagome continued, and glanced back at the red-head.

"Oh no," Misty yelped, fearful for Kagome's 'mon.

"I choose Squirtle!" Kagome announced, and released the 'mon.

"A stuffed toy with a type disadvantage," Surge announced, and then the light faded and Squirtle could be seen. "An over-sized stuffed toy," he corrected. "If your 'mon is that big, why haven't you evolved it yet?" he asked.

Kagome shrugged. "Because he doesn't want to, and that's all there is to it," she answered.

"The 'mon battle will now begin. Only one 'mon may be used. The gym leader, Lieutenant Surge, has chosen Raichu. The challenger, Kagome, has chosen Squirtle. No time limit. Let the battle begin!"

As before, the bell was rung, and the two 'mon sized each other up.

"This is too easy," Surge announced. "Raichu, let's make this quick. Thunderbolt!"

"Rai!" Raichu agreed, and charged up his cheeks.

"Squirtle, pull inside your shell and launch a spinning tackle!" Kagome ordered firmly.

"Squirtle squirt," Squirtle agreed, and pulled his head in. And his arms in. And his legs in. And finally his tail in as well.

The thunderbolt went over him when he dropped, rather than hitting him.

Squirtle started his shell spinning, and when he'd gotten some speed up, he stuck out a leg and used it as a pivot to swing around on and launch himself like an athlete's discus. The contact was solid, and from there, Squirtle ricocheted upwards.

"Skull-bash Squirtle!" Kagome called out.

Squirtle's head came out of his shell, and then his limbs and tail so that he could better twist himself in the air. Head first, he dived back down, spinning like he was Spearow doing a drill-peck, only with the top of his head aiming at his opponent rather than his face.

Raichu, still reeling a little from the tackle, didn't manage to get out of the way in time, and stopped where he stood when Squirtle's head collided with his own. From that position, Squirtle twisted to land on his feet. Raichu landed on his back.

Lieutenant Surge sighed. "I'm gonna have to be more wary of these stuffed toys," he commented with a shake of his head. "Bravo Kagome. You and your Squirtle have earned yourselves a Thunder Badge. Heh, never thought I'd lose to a _water_-type 'mon."

"Thank you Lieutenant," Kagome answered with a smile, and even gave a salute to the giant of a man once she'd secured the badge.

"Squirtle squirt!" Squirtle added with a grin, and gave a salute of his own.

Surge chuckled. "You're good kids," he said. "Good luck with your travels."

"Alright! Time to explore the city!" Misty declared.

Kagome chuckled. "You guys go ahead," she said, waving them off. "I'm going to head off again."

"Huh?" Brock asked. "You're... not going to travel with us any more? But... I thought..."

Kagome shook her head. "I want some time with just me and my 'mon," she explained gently.

"Oh," Brock said sadly, head drooping and shoulders slumping.

"Well, what if you had today for your 'mon, and tomorrow we all went to check out the docks together?" Ash suggested while Misty quietly teased Brock about possibly having feelings for Kagome.

"Okay," Kagome agreed. "Tomorrow, the docks. I'll meet you back at the 'Mon Centre in the morning and we can all head off together."

~oOo~

Kagome went out to the grassland beyond Vermilion City and let all her 'mon out of their balls. Not for training this time, but to play. Play was an important part of a healthy life, for 'mon as much as for people, and really, she had missed the days of carrying Sesshoumaru in her arms. She wanted to spend some time just with _him_ while her other 'mon got some freedom to frolic.

As well as personally spending more time with Sesshoumaru, and because Kagome had more 'mon than she could carry at a time, Kagome also switched out her mon now and then during the day, so that they'd all get a chance to play together. Yes, _all_. That included Dragonite Ancestor.

Dragonite Ancestor had only gotten to spend time with a very few of Kagome's 'mon on Professor Oak's property, and until that day hadn't gotten a chance to meet all of them. Professor Oak _had_ kept Dragonite Ancestor on his property, rather than taking her to the Higurashi Shrine.

When Kagome asked if Dragonite Ancestor had been visited by Mew while she was there though, the large 'mon had nodded and smiled.

Kagome smiled back. She'd _known_ they would have things to talk about if they got the chance.

~oOo~

"Could you just imagine? Sun bathing on deck all day, just going on a nice relaxing cruise on one of those ships?" Misty asked wistfully as they all stood at the entrance to the Vermilion Docks where there were practically rows of cruise ships, just waiting for passengers.

High-paying passengers, as Brock reminded Misty. "We could never afford to go on a trip like that," he said, bursting her bubble.

"Reality can really bum you out," Ash groaned as they all slumped a little.

It was a nice day-dream, but one that wouldn't come true any time soo-

"Congratulations!" a pair of voices said as party-poppers went off in their faces. "You guys are way lucky! You can go on a super-deluxe sea cruise!" A pair of school girls with heavy fake-tan cheered.

"A sea cruise?" they repeated.

"Well it's, like, you know, we have these incredible free tickets for you," one of the girls (the one of the two that actually had a chest) explained, and held up the tickets as proof.

"Cool," echoed her friend.

"Cool huh? These are tickets for the biggest party ever, on board the Saint Anne cruise liner!" the first girl explained.

"The _famous_ Saint Anne?" Ash asked, eyes wide.

"Cool!" the flat-chested girl said happily.

"The coolest ship on the sea," confirmed the other. "Everyone's going to be together and, like, have the _coolest_ party!"

"Cool!"

"And the party is for 'mon trainers only!"

"Cool!"

Kagome was beginning to wonder if it was the fake tan or the bleach in the blonde's hair had affected her brain and reduced her to monosyllabic exclamations of the same word.

"Step this way," the first girl said, and her friend giggled. "It'll be a radical party," she promised. "All of the most radical 'mon trainers will be there!"

"Do you know anybody who says 'radical' any more?" Ash asked Misty quietly.

"Uh-uh," she answered softly with a shake of her head.

"Okay dudes, here are your tickets!" the first girl said happily, and presented the tickets to them again.

"We'd love to go on the 'mon trainer cruise," Brock said, "but we really don't have the money to pay for -"

"She said free once already," Kagome cut in as she accepted the tickets delicately. "But why aren't you using them yourselves? Are you not trainers?"

"We, like, have to go on dates with our boyfriends," the main talker of the two answered, "and _they_ aren't trainers. So, we wanted to give our tickets to some cool-looking trainers, and then, like, there you were!"

"Cool!"

"So you guys have a really cool time. For sure!"

And then the two left quickly. Boyfriends waiting, no doubt.

"Wow," Ash admired as he looked at the tickets Kagome held. "This really _is_ cool, isn't it?"

"Pikachu!"

~oOo~

"Wow! Look at this!" Ash exclaimed with delight once they were aboard the Saint Anne and had found... "It's like a giant 'mon convention!"

"Everyone's a trainer," Misty pointed out happily.

A couple of kids were comparing their Charmanders, there were stalls selling pokeballs, t-shirts with 'mon printed on them, plush toy versions of 'mon, 'mon care products of all sorts, vitamins, various food-stuffs, even clothes for trainers to dress their 'mon in.

And of course, because there were so many trainers all in the same place, there was a bit of floor dedicated to battles.

"I'm going to wander," Kagome said when Ash got enthusiastic about the battles. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Sure," Misty agreed.

"I'll come with you Kagome," Brock offered.

Kagome nodded in acceptance.

They were wandering the stalls when they heard one stall-holder call for the attention of a young man wearing the uniform of the crew.

"Are you addressing me?" he asked.

"I want you to have a look at this 'mon," the stall-holder said with a grin.

Kagome nudged Brock and they went over to have a look as well.

"The king of all carp, a Magikarp," the stall-holder said in answer to the young man asking what the 'mon was.

"What do I do? Eat it?"

"Heh, see how healthy it is?" the stall-holder said, lifting the fish 'mon out of the tank.

"It certainly is lively!" the young man exclaimed as he tried to hold onto the large, flailing fish that had just been shoved into his arms.

"Just between you and me, this 'mon is like a gold-mine," the stall-holder fake-whispered, a hand up to one side of his face like he was telling a secret.

"Gold-mine?" the guy repeated.

"Right. Magikarp lays one thousand eggs at a time, each of those one thousand baby Magikarp lay one thousand more, that's one million Magikarp, each of those one million lays another thousand, that's a _billion_ 'mon! And you can sell those Magikarp for one hundred dollars each -" the stall-holder continued in quiet enthusiasm.

"Like hell you can," Kagome cut in.

"Huh?" both the stall-holder and the young man said, surprised by the interruption. Neither had noticed Brock and Kagome listening in.

"Magikarp can be caught on even the cheapest fishing rod in any river you care to stop by," Kagome stated plainly. "No one is going to pay money for a Magikarp."

The stall-holder frowned unhappily at her.

Kagome smiled. "Unless it's almost on the verge of evolving into a Gyarados," she continued lightly. "Since it's so hard to catch a wild one, or get a Gyarados that you didn't raise from a Magikarp to accept you as its trainer, and even then it can be iffy."

"Magikarp evolves into Gyarados?" the young man asked her.

Kagome nodded.

"You sure know a lot about 'mon Kagome," Brock noted with a smile.

"He's not paying more than five dollars for the Magikarp," Kagome insisted to the stall-holder, politely but firmly.

"Five!?" the man nearly yelped.

"It won't take you that many seconds to get a new Magikarp on the line to sell to some _other_ sucker, or he can just get a long piece of string and bend a paper-clip into a hook shape and catch one for himself," Kagome pointed out.

"Actually, that's probably a better idea," Brock joined in. "A 'mon that you catch and raise yourself will be more likely to respect you than a 'mon you _bought_. Even if a bought or traded 'mon will grow faster."

"Fine, five dollars," the stall-holder agreed grumpily.

"It's a deal," the young man said with a smile, and handed over the small amount of cash. In exchange, he got the Magikarp and the gold-plated pokeball that the water-type came with. "Thank you," he said to Kagome happily, and wandered off with his new 'mon.

"Please don't do that again," the stall-holder said to Kagome as he released another Magikarp from a pokeball and into the tank.

Kagome chuckled, linked her arm with Brock's, and dragged him off to look at another booth. "I love getting a good deal," she said happily. "Even if it isn't for me."

"That was quite something," Brock answered, a blush on his cheeks and a slightly shy smile on his face.

~oOo~

"So, are you havin' yourself a good time?" asked a man with a ridiculous accent, ridiculous glasses, ridiculous moustache, a cane and a top hat as he walked up to them.

They'd re-grouped around one of the buffet tables and were enjoying the very fine food.

"Yes sir," Ash answered. "We're having a great time."

"You know, that Butterfree o' yours is quite extraordinary," the man complimented.

"It's incredible," agreed the woman at his side – same accent, different voice, much nicer coming from her. Her in her figure-hugging gown and fur stole.

"Well, I put a lot of work into raising him," Ash answered with a proud smile while Brock went into a daze over the beautiful woman.

"What did you think of my Raticate?" the man asked.

"It looked great, and it really put up a tough fight," Ash answered frankly.

"In that case, I'll be direct. How would you feel about trading your Butterfree for my Raticate?" the man asked.

"Trade?" Ash repeated.

"When two people find they like each other's 'mon, they trade. It's quite a common practice everywhere," the man explained. "Tradin' an' makin' friendships, spreadin' those friendships wider and wider, that's what havin' 'mon is all about!"

"No, it isn't," Kagome said softly, frankly.

Ash shook his head. "Thank you for the offer, but Butterfree is very dear to me. Besides, I have a Rattata already, and she'll evolve into a Raticate some day, so there really isn't any point in me trading for one," Ash said to the man.

"I see, then I apologise for wastin' your time," the gentleman said, then wrapped his arm around the woman at his side, and the pair of them wandered off again.

"Good choice Ash," Kagome said softly. "If that guy trades his 'mon so freely, then he can't care about them too much."

"To protect the world from devastation!" a voice announced as the lights flickered.

"To unite all peoples within our nation!" a second called out.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love, to extend our reach to the stars above!" the two voices said together as a platform was raised, two people clearly standing on it, and clearly being the ones speaking

"Jesse."

"James."

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!" the woman, Jesse said.

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" offered/demanded the purple-haired man, James.

"Meowth, that's right!" finished off... a talking Meowth.

"Team Rocket will now take possession of your 'mon," Jesse announced gleefully.

"Given the options of 'surrender now' or 'prepare to fight', I'll take the second!" Kagome yelled back in answer, and grabbed one of the balls attached to her belt.

The trainers all around her agreed with the sentiment, and while Kagome sent Vulpix out to work with the other fire-type 'mon (mostly Charmanders, actually, Misty's among them), Ash directed the ship's Pikachu (who were the main source of the electricity on board), along with his own, to electrocute some other Team Rocket thugs. More 'mon worked together to make an exit and send the bad-guys flying out of it.

Only the two who had given the speech at the beginning (and their Meowth) escaped from being ejected, and they stumbled out of the room smoking and charred.

Then the ship heaved.

~oOo~ 

Kagome blinked blearily as she woke up, and blinked again when she noticed that she was lying on a light fitting.

"Ugh," she groaned as she sat up. "Okay, I'm on the ceiling," Kagome said, thinking aloud. "So the ship must be upside-down, which _also_ probably means it sank. Great. Just _great_," she groaned, even as she was glad that she lacked the ability to panic in situations that were out of her control. Be terrified when in danger? Oh yes, but panic? No. Panic was reserved for tests she hadn't known she needed to study for when she'd been in school before leaving on her 'mon journey. It was important to get a lot of education in before leaving after all, so there had been a _lot_ of tests – and in regards to her miko skills as well as normal educational things like mathematics.

Well, first things first, Kagome was hungry. She started heading for the kitchen. She had no doubt that she would be hungry again before she was either rescued or managed to find land on her own. The latter, Kagome knew, was going to be more likely with the ship at the bottom of the ocean. She would have been given up for dead already most likely.

Kagome smiled to herself when she spotted the ship's phones. "One way to correct _that_ assumption," she muttered to herself and carefully piled up the furniture that hadn't been bolted to the floor and then climbed up to the phone. "Hope it works from down here," she muttered as she up-ended the phone so it was right-way-up for her now, and dialled.

"Hello?"

Kagome was greeted by the sight of her mother's face, even more depressed and emotionless than Kagome was used to. People might think that her mother didn't care when she got the news of Kagome's apparent drowning, but Kagome recognised the symptoms of her mother completely shutting down.

"Hey Ma," Kagome answered with a smile.

"Kagome!" Kikyo yelped, eyes going wide as she registered her daughter's face. "Kagome, they told me you'd been lost at sea!"

Kagome chuckled weakly. "They're not wrong," she said. "I'm in the Saint Anne, and the Saint Anne is at the bottom of the ocean. I'm lucky that the phones worked. I didn't want you to think I was dead for longer than you had to."

"Oh Kagome," Kikyo said with a sigh. "You couldn't have just stayed home where it was safe, could you?" she asked.

Kagome shook her head. "Sorry Ma," she replied. "But I _am_ alive, and I'll find a way out of here, I promise. I'm going to call the coast guard next, so they know to keep looking for survivors. I love you Ma."

"Love you too baby girl," Kikyo answered. "Kagome, apart from being stuck at the bottom of the ocean, you _are_ taking care of yourself, aren't you?"

Kagome nodded. "I am. See? All fit and healthy!" she answered happily.

Kikyo sighed. "I do worry about you, you know."

Kagome nodded again. "I know Ma."

"Alright, well, you call the coast guard and get rescued. I have to call Delia and let her know that Ash is probably alive in the ship somewhere as well," Kikyo said.

"I'll look for him," Kagome promised. "I know how Delia can be."

The two Higurashi women nodded one last time to each other, and hung up. Kagome called the coast guard next, just as she had told her mother she would.

"This is Officer Jenny of the Vermilion Police Department and Coast Guard," answered the woman on the other end.

Kagome smiled. "This is Kagome Higurashi, a passenger aboard the Saint Anne," she replied.

"Miss Higurashi?!" Officer Jenny repeated, surprised. "You're still alive down there? Of course you are, or else you wouldn't be calling."

"I'll look for anybody else who was still in the Saint Anne when it sank, and work on getting us all to the surface. How many others weren't recovered? I know Ash Ketchum is probably in here somewhere, I called my mother first and she told me Mrs Ketchum is a mess."

Officer Jenny nodded. "Yes, apart from yourself and Ash, there are also a Misty, Brock, Jesse and James missing. We'll have patrols out in the area looking for you when you make it to the surface," she promised.

Kagome nodded. "Thank you Officer Jenny."

When she hung up after that, Kagome pulled out her 'dex and switched up her 'mon team. Vulpix, Eevee and Kilala wouldn't be much help under water, even if they could swim, and Abra would likely be more useful than Spearow or Sesshoumaru for getting from one place to another if there were dangerous spaces that needed to be crossed.

Kagome kept Seel, Squirtle, Golduck, Lapras, Dragonite Ancestor, and Abra handy, and continued in search of food – and other survivors, and other things that could be useful, like scuba gear.

Kagome bit her lip as she walked. Sesshoumaru would _not_ be happy to have been sent to Professor Oak's lab. They hadn't been apart since the day he hatched. Frankly, she wasn't too happy about sending him away either, but it was necessity right now.

"Ah! The ship sunk! We're doomed!" a voice cried, clearly panicked, from down the hallway.

"Calm down James," a female voice scolded.

"Yes," Kagome agreed as she rounded the corner and walked up to them. "Do calm down. The coast guard knows that we're alive down here and are going to remain on patrol until we can reach the surface."

"Getting off this ship while it's underwater won't be easy," the Meowth noted.

"No," Kagome agreed. "But before we get to escaping, I'm hungry," she said, and walked around Meowth through the door into the kitchen.

Behind her, three stomachs growled in agreement.

"I guess escaping can wait until we've eaten," Jesse allowed.

Kagome collected a fair bit more than just a plateful of food to eat though. She collected bottled water, empty bottles that _used_ to have water, and filled her bag with every bit of fruit she could lay her hands on. Even _with_ the coast guard searching for them, there was no guarantee they'd be found quickly once they got to the surface, they'd need fresh water and something to eat. The _empty_ bottles were for air so that they wouldn't suffocate in the highly-likely event they'd have to swim for the surface.

"You guys coming?" Kagome called once she'd finished stocking up.

Team Rocket were still stuffing their faces.

"Why should we listen to you?" Jesse demanded.

Kagome arched an eyebrow at her. "Fine," she said with a shrug. "Do whatever you like. I'm off."


	8. Chapter 8

Kagome found a staircase that was slowly flooding, and released Seel, Squirtle and Golduck.

"Split up, see if you can find a way out," she requested simply.

"Goldeen, you too!" came a shout from behind her, and Kagome turned to see Misty, Brock, Ash and Pikachu standing behind her.

"Hey, glad to see you're all okay," Kagome greeted with a smile.

"You too," Brock answered.

Then they settled in to wait.

"What's taking them so long?" Ash asked at last.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "We're not exactly near the deck, and there are a lot of hallways. If they find one way blocked, they'll try another, and then they've got to find their way back here to tell us about it," she explained.

Goldeen returned first, with a water-logged Team Rocket as a gift.

"They look terrible," Brock noted.

"Prepare for trouble," Jesse started weakly.

"We are already _in_ trouble," Kagome cut in before they could get any further. "And so are you, so no trying to cause more," she snapped.

"I suppose we could head for the hull instead, cut a way out and swim for it," Misty suggested.

Kagome offered the empty water bottles she'd collected. "You'll want to take a breath or two before you reach the surface if you try that," she pointed out. "I'm going to wait for my 'mon to come back though."

All three of Kagome's 'mon chose that moment to return.

"Any luck?" she asked them.

All three shook their heads sadly.

"Well, thanks anyway," Kagome said with a smile, and hugged each 'mon before returning them to their pokeballs.

"We're going to have to work together if we want to get off this ship!" Misty was scolding Ash, Brock, Pikachu and Team Rocket. "Come on now, shake hands!"

"This is just a temporary truce until we get out of this mess," Jesse said as she shook Ash's hand.

"Better believe it," he agreed, as unhappy to be shaking her hand as she was to be shaking his.

Pikachu actually zapped Meowth as they shook hands.

"It's agreed, we work together," Jesse said shortly.

"So, we head up for the hull," Kagome said. "That will give us the shortest swim to the surface."

"How do you anticipate we _get_ there?" James asked bitingly as he pointed to a stairway opening in the ceiling – where they couldn't reach.

Brock solved that problem. "Onix, make a staircase!"

"Move it or lose it!" Misty snapped when Team Rocket hesitated.

"Yes ma'am!"

~oOo~ 

"Grab a water 'mon, and get ready to swim for the surface," Misty ordered when they reached the engine room.

"We don't _have_ any water 'mon!" Jesse snapped.

"I've got a Magikarp," James corrected.

"Magikarp won't get you to the surface fast enough," Kagome said, and released her Golduck and Seel. "Golduck, you get those three to the surface. Seel, think you can carry me?"

"Seel!" Seel answered, while Golduck saluted and turned to Team Rocket.

"That's... a big Golduck," Jesse said as the 'mon offered them rope to tie themselves to him.

"Alright, everybody ready?" Misty asked. "Charmander -"

"No!" Kagome yelped, cutting the other girl off. "Do you want to risk his tail-flame getting splashed once he's made the hole?"

"What do you suggest then?" Misty demanded.

Kagome pulled out her 'dex and did a quick 'mon-switch. Abra had been really helpful for getting across the room that was completely on fire, and some day she'd have to test just how far he could teleport, but now she wanted Sesshoumaru back.

He looked down at her solemnly when she released him from his ball.

"It has to happen sometimes, but I'll make it as rare as possible," she promised softly. "I didn't like being separated from you either."

He nodded in acceptance, and turned his attention to the hull. Delicately, he drew a circle with one claw, leaving a bubbling trail behind.

Kagome recalled him to his ball before he could get wet, and then they all waited as the acid ate through the metal. Finally, it gave way to the pressure of all the water that was pushing down on it, and burst inwards.

"Let's go!" Misty ordered, and Goldeen started to tow her through the water that was rushing in.

Seel followed close behind Ash, who was behind Brock, who (borrowing one of Misty's 'mon) was close behind the red-head. Kagome took a deep breath before Seel finally pulled her out of the hole, and looked back to see Golduck dragging Team Rocket along.

Kagome kept herself streamlined as much as she could, not wanting to drag on Seel or use up her air and energy by kicking.

Seel quickly overtook Ash, Brock, and Misty, but Kagome was still glad she'd grabbed those empty bottles so that she could grab another breath from it before they reached the surface. Seel was fine of course. Seels were easily capable of staying under water for an hour without having to take a breath.

Golduck, with Team Rocket, surfaced next, followed by Misty, then Brock, and finally Ash.

"Good work Golduck," Kagome praised, and recalled him to his pokeball. "You too Seel," she said, and hugged the 'mon that had essentially dragged her up to the surface from the depths.

"Seel!" the 'mon answered happily before Kagome recalled him as well.

"Now what do we do?" Ash asked. "There's nothing but ocean in every direction, and we have no idea which direction will take us towards land."

"I remember the story of Noah," Brock offered, "who sent out a bird to find land."

"On the other hand, _I_ remember calling the coast guard on the phones that were in the Saint Anne, and Officer Jenny promising to have regular patrols around the area," Kagome countered, and reached for a pokeball. "Lapras!" she called, and released the 'mon. "Misty, _now_ would be a good time to call on Charmander. The little guy should be able to make a signal flare with his flamethrower," Kagome said as she pulled herself up onto Lapras's back.

"Yeah," Misty agreed, and summoned Charmander – aiming very carefully so that the little 'mon would land on Lapras's back, rather than in the water.

"Char!"

"Charmander, could you use your flamethrower to make a flare?" Misty requested as she also swam up to Kagome's Lapras.

"Char!" Charmander agreed happily, and tilted his head back. Fire erupted from his mouth, hot and high, creating a signal that would be visible for at least a couple of miles.

Of course, eventually, the little guy needed to take a break.

"Well done Charmander," Misty said when he stopped, and panted, catching his breath.

"Yeah," Kagome agreed. "Here, have something to eat and take a break for a while," she offered, holding out some of the fruit she'd grabbed from the Saint Anne's kitchen.

"Is it okay for a signal flare to stop flaring?" James asked.

Kagome pulled out her 'dex and switched her 'mon around. Golduck and Squirtle were returned to Professor Oak's lab, while Vulpix and Kilala joined Kagome again. Kagome released Vulpix to take over the signal flare first.

"Just straight up," Kagome requested. "As high as you can make it go, for as long as you can keep the fire going."

"Vulp," Vulpix agreed, and tilted her head back.

"Char," Charmander said softly in awe. Vulpix's flamethrower went almost twice as high as his own had gone. "Char char, mander!"

Misty stroked his head. "You keep practising, and I'm sure you'll be able to do that as well," she said. "I'm afraid I don't really know a lot about training fire-type 'mon though, for all that I've been trying to learn since you decided you wanted to come with me... You would probably have been better off with Kagome."

"Char?" Charmander asked, eyes large and sad.

"Oh I think you're wonderful," Misty assured her Charmander. "But what's best for you might not be to be _my_ 'mon. Look, just think about it. If you ever decide you'd rather Kagome be your trainer, I'll still care about you, and probably miss you when Kagome isn't travelling with us, but I won't hold you back either, okay?"

"Char," Charmander answered softly with a nod.

"Ahoy there! This is the coast guard!" came a call a couple of hours later. "Are you the survivors from the Saint Anne?"

"Ahoy!" Kagome answered happily. "We are!"  
"Officer Jenny!" Brock greeted happily.

"Does that mean we're going back to Vermilion City?" Ash asked as they climbed aboard the coast guard rescue boat.

"Actually, we're the coast guard from the resort island Porta Vista," Officer Jenny answered with a smile. "When my cousin from the mainland coast guard called me to let me know you'd called and reported that you were alive down there, we agreed to take turns patrolling the area. We're taking you back to Porta Vista for now, and you can catch a ride back to the mainland from there."

There was a crowd of people waiting to welcome them when they got to the island – Kikyo Higurashi, Delia Ketchum, and Professor Oak among them.

~oOo~ 

"There's a beauty and costume contest happening tomorrow," Kikyo informed her daughter softly as they shared a quiet meal in a restaurant that was owned by an old man called Moe – an old man who's boat Ash had crashed by accident, and was now working for as an apology.

"Are you going to enter?" Kagome asked, just as softly.

Kikyo smiled slightly, amused.

"You _are_ the more beautiful of the two of us," Kagome pointed out to her mother. Yes, her mother was the one with the perfectly straight hair, the porcelain skin... Kagome was nearly tanned after so long travelling, and while she'd gotten her hair _colour_ from her mother, the _texture_ was her late father's gentle wave.

"Kagome, _you_ are the one who is young and fit," Kikyo countered. "You've grown so much since you left home," she added, and reached across the table to cup Kagome's cheek in her hands. Kikyo sighed. "And you're getting so tall now. It's like you're verging on fifteen all of a sudden, rather than eleven."

Kagome blushed. It was true. Apparently what worked for the 'mon worked for the trainer as well, and she'd been growing at just as astonishing a rate as her 'mon. That had put her previously limited sewing skills to the test, and rapidly expanded them, just so that Kagome could stay decently clothed. "What if we entered together?" Kagome suggested, delicately dragging the conversation back to the previous topic.

"I'd be honoured," Kikyo answered with a soft smile. "But what about the costume part?"

Kagome considered that, and finally smiled. "I've got an idea," she answered.

~oOo~

Brock had somehow swung himself the job of MC for the competition.

Misty was the first up on the stage in her two-piece swim-suit, and she'd dressed up her Squirtle and Starmie as an alien on a UFO. After her, a Koffing and Ekans had entered themselves, no beauties, certainly, but that was alright because they were only entering the costume part – together they were dressed up as a legendary 'mon.

"Get off the stage!" Gary Oak, of all people, said as he quite literally kicked the pair off.

"You get off!" Kagome yelled from back stage. "You have _no right_ to treat _any_ 'mon that way!"

"Yes, if you wouldn't mind?" Brock agreed. "This is a competition that you're supposed to register your entry for _before_ taking the stage. Next, we have a lovely mother-daughter duo, Kikyo and Kagome Higurashi!"

Gary flinched. Kikyo had _always_ scared him. The blank, unimpressed look she gave him so often was just plain eerie. He only ever tried pulling the same thing on Kagome as he did on Ash when Kikyo wasn't anywhere around.

And there she was, walking down the catwalk with her daughter, both of them in two-piece swim-suits. Kikyo's black, Kagome's white, and both were giving him looks that said very clearly to get off the stage before they kicked him off the way he had those 'mon a moment ago. Kikyo Higurashi may not have been trained as a priestess until she'd married InuYasha (son of the shrine's priest), but she _had_ been taught – and had in turn taught her daughter – about respecting 'mon.

Gary quickly jumped down and scurried out of their way.

"That is one hot -"

"Brock if you finish that sentence with 'MILF', you will be in a world of hurt," Ash whisper-warned. "Mrs Higurashi is _scary_."

"- pair!" Brock finished. "We can see where Kagome gets her looks from, that's for sure! And for all that they look more like sisters, they really _are_ mother and daughter. I know, you wouldn't think Mrs Higurashi could have a grown-up daughter to look at her, and what a grown-up daughter Kagome is!"

"Nice save," Ash congratulated with a relieved sigh of his own. "But Kagome is the same age as me."

"Now, for the costume!" Brock said quickly, moving on as he tried not to go into shock from that information. "Styling an impressive dye-job is Kagome's Spearow, masquerading as the legendary bird 'mon Zapdos!"

The crowd was quite impressed, though whether that was from the sheer size of Spearow, or from the 'costume', Kagome wasn't too sure.

Then a Gyarados crashed the party.

Kagome didn't hesitate to send Spearow to pick the 'mon up – only for everybody to hear a far more hollow and metallic clang when Spearow's claws closed around it than they really should have.

"It's a fake!" Ash yelled.

As though to prove the claim further, a torpedo was launched from the Gyarados' mouth. No _real_ 'mon sent man-made torpedos at their enemies. 'Mon-made, maybe, but not _man-_made.

Spearow dropped the thing, and flew back to Kagome.

"It's one of those heat-seeking missiles!" Brock exclaimed.

"Misty, can I borrow Charmander?" Ash asked as he ran up to the stage.

"Sure," Misty agreed.

"Charmander, Pidgeotto, go! Flamethrower!"

"Char!" Charmander agreed as Pidgeotto caught him and flew him at the torpedo, then out of its trajectory as it turned around, confused after being barbecued.

In a fit of entertaining irony, the torpedo decided to chase the machine that had launched it – right back to the hotel of an unpleasant woman who was demanding money from Moe – while at the same time doing her level best to prevent him from being able to pay it back.

Kagome and Kikyo were declared winners of the beauty contest at the end of the day, but the judges were more impressed with the alien-and-UFO costume that Misty had come up with for her Starmie and Squirtle.

~oOo~ 

Kagome was on the ferry back to the mainland and wandering around, looking for Ash, Brock and Misty. Heck, by now she should have found Pikachu at least. Unless... they missed the ferry. She just _bet_ they missed the ferry.

She shook her head to herself. Well, she was on her way back to the mainland at least. She'd see them when she saw them, and that's all there was to it.

The ferry travelled to Maiden's Peak, rather than back to Vermilion City, but that was fine with Kagome. Maiden's Peak had a very famous shrine, so the stop gave Kagome all the excuse she needed to present herself to the head priest.

Okay, Maiden's Peak had _two_ shrines. One general shrine that serviced the public, and a second shrine at Maiden's Rock. Kagome _did_ present herself to the head priest at the former shrine, and listened to his stories of the shrine's treasures, but when he invited her to take part in the Obon Festival, Kagome respectfully declined. She'd go and enjoy the festival later, but take part? As in an official role? No, Kagome didn't feel quite ready for that.

Besides, she wanted to pay her respects at the _other_ shrine as well.

The shrine at Maiden's Rock was old, a little dilapidated, and... Kagome sighed as she opened the doors to let herself in.

"I know you're here," she called as she knelt respectfully before the alter. "I can sense you."

Two 'mon came out from their hiding places: a Gastly and a little fox-ghost 'mon that Kagome hadn't ever seen before. It had four paws, but only walked on two, with his fox-tail sticking out the back of his dark-blue hakama, and he wore the white head-band traditionally associated with ghosts around his head.

"How could you sense us?" the Gastly asked.

Kagome blinked. A 'mon that could talk like a human could was... rare. It marked the 'mon as a very determined member of his or her species.

"I'm a miko," Kagome answered. "May I ask what you're doing here, in the shrine of the Maiden?"

"Young Shippo and I travel around the world every year to keep the old legends alive."

"Shippo learn-ing," the fox-ghost 'mon, Shippo apparently, added softly, and a little haltingly.

"Learning to talk too," Kagome noted with a smile, and gently patted the young 'mon on the head.

"It's hard to communicate a proper haunting if the humans don't understand the words you're saying," Gastly pointed out.

Kagome nodded in understanding.

Gastly turned, within the shrine, to face the rear wall – beyond which was Maiden's Rock. "She's still waiting, you know," he told Kagome.

Kagome's heart ached for the young woman of centuries passed. It was entirely possible that her sweet-heart hadn't remained on this plane and had passed on, been reincarnated perhaps. There was no guarantee that the soul of the one she was waiting for likewise lingered and longed to be reunited.

"Is there any way that I can help?" she asked at last.

Gastly turned back to her, clearly surprised. "I've got it covered, in fact," he answered. "I'm only even teaching the youngster -" he nodded at the Shippo, "because he begged me. The young one needs training."

Kagome smiled. "Then I think I know how to help," she said. "I'm a 'mon trainer, as well as a miko. If you like, _I_ will train Shippo," she offered.

"Real-ly?" Shippo asked, his green eyes huge and shining with anticipation.

Kagome nodded. "Really," she agreed.

"Shippo so hap-po-pi!" Shippo said, and launched himself at Kagome, wrapping his furry little arms around Kagome's neck to hug her.

Kagome laughed and patted him gently on the head between his pointed ears. The little fox 'mon was cute.

"Well Gastly, we'll get out of your way," Kagome said as she tapped Shippo with one of her empty pokeballs.

"Thank you," Gastly said with a nod.

Kagome nodded back, rose, and left the shrine of Maiden's Rock.

~oOo~

"I hear you were one of Gastly's victims this year," Kagome said to Brock as she set a lantern on the water to help guide lingering spirits to the afterlife.

Brock sighed. "If only she were two-thousand years younger," he lamented.

"She'd probably _still_ be hopelessly devoted to some other guy," Kagome said with gentle, only almost-comforting humour.

Brock sighed again.


	9. Chapter 9

They were on their way to Saffron City – Ash wanted a Marsh Badge – but neither Ash nor Misty were really any good at reading maps or figuring out directions, so they were lost again. Now, if they'd cared to ask Brock or Kagome which route they should take, they wouldn't have that issue, but neither of them _had_ been asked, and Kagome was actually (unlike everybody else) _enjoying_ being lost in the woods. Well, forest.

Why wouldn't she? After all, she'd spotted a Ditto and caught it. (Ditto was the _only_ 'mon that Kagome allowed herself to call an 'it', because a Ditto genuinely _was_ genderless. Crazy stuff.)

Also, there were a _lot_ of Kakuna in the forest, and she'd let Sesshoumaru out to snack on them – a sight which had, actually, disgusted all of her travelling companions. Even Misty, who hated bugs with a passion, didn't enjoy seeing them get eaten.

Eventually, they were kinda-sorta led out of the forest by a little girl who made Kagome's skin crawl. Ash chased after her, and considering how much mist was in the forest, that was really a dumb thing to do. Point proven when he fell off a cliff and was barely saved by his hastily-called-upon Bulbasaur. The view from the cliff was rather spectacular, and better for the friends who were actually keen to get out of the forest, the view was of Saffron City.

"By the way Ash," Kagome said as they headed for the city. "You scream like a girl."

"I do not!" Ash objected.

"Congratulations winners!" two voices greeted when, not ten minutes later, they entered the city gates.

Kagome raised an eyebrow as two women lay a lei around Ash's neck and kissed his cheeks. Now, where had she heard those voices before?

"Why should we win something for just walking into town?" Ash asked.

"There's a simple explanation," the woman with dark hair answered – after giggling a moment.

"You're the millionth, millionth-and-first, millionth-and-second, millionth-and-third and millionth-and-fourth visitors to Saffron City," the orange-haired woman explained.

Kagome snapped her fingers as the pair did a little hula dance, singing "Saffron City, the city you love to visit!"

"You were blonde last time you cross-dressed," Kagome said to James. "But you seem to have a thing for the orange when you're in disguise," she added to Jesse. "And fake tans."

The pair jerked.

"What are you talking about?" Jesse asked.

Kagome shook her head. "_He_," she said, pointing to James, "giggled in the _exact_ same way when they were giving us the tickets for the Saint Anne. Really though, I must congratulate you on the excellent costumes. I probably wouldn't have picked it, if James hadn't giggled."

"How did you see through our disguises?" James demanded in his own voice.

"The first time I saw you, you were in disguises. The second time? You were in uniform. Now you're in disguise again. Also? I can sense the auras of your 'mon," Kagome explained.

"Team Rocket!" Ash growled as he realised what Kagome was saying. "Wait, ew! Gross! They both kissed me! Aah! Blech blech blech!" he exclaimed, and tried to wipe the kisses off his face, as though that worked.

"Prepare for trouble!" Jesse growled as she flung off her disguise.

"Make it double!" James agreed as he discarded his own.

Kagome spared a moment to wonder how they wore their uniforms under costumes that showed off more skin than the uniforms did, but otherwise just ducked around them. She'd let Ash and the others play out their grudge against Team Rocket. She was going to get her Marsh Badge, and maybe even be done battling the infamous Sabrina before Ash reached the gym to request his own battle.

~oOo~

"Little girl, what are you doing here?" asked a man in a lab-coat and with an allergy mask over his face.

"I've come to face Sabrina," Kagome answered simply.

"You want to challenge the great Sabrina?" the man scoffed.

Kagome nodded. "I did just say that, didn't I?" she countered.

"Do you even know what you are getting into?" the man asked, and raised a spoon.

Kagome bit her lip as she watched him focus on the spoon, turn red, and break out in a sweat before the spoon bent just a tiny bit. Gently, she took the spoon from him, let the bowl hang down, and caressed the metal with her miko powers. She'd been trained to use her spiritual gifts in a certain way and for a certain purpose, but some of the exercises had been the sort that, well... That this guy had been trying to do. And then, because her mother wasn't thrilled about having drawers full of bent cutlery, Kagome had learned how to _un_bend the silverware as well.

"I think I have some idea," Kagome answered as she returned the spoon.

"As you wish," the man allowed, and guided Kagome through the gym. "Here we are," he said at last, and pushed open a set of double-doors to reveal a room that was decorated like a temple or shrine... yes, a shrine. A shrine to a Buddha specifically. "Oh great Sabrina," the man said as he knelt before the bamboo veil that would conceal where, traditionally, the Buddha would sit. "This stranger has come who wishes to challenge you."

Behind the bamboo veil, a figure was illuminated. Kagome recognised the tiny figure as the little girl who Ash had chased off a cliff in the forest – the one that had set Kagome's skin to tingling.

The little girl's eyes glowed red.

The man tensed, but nodded silently and left.

Kagome stepped up. "He's either got a crush on you, or a serious case of hero-worship," Kagome stated. "Sabrina, I wish to challenge you in an official battle, for the right to carry a Marsh Badge."

"I'd like that," the tiny child said. "But if you lose you have to be my friend and let me play with you!"

Kagome frowned. "I seriously distrust the wording of that condition," she answered, "and even if I didn't, I was not speaking to _you_."

The bamboo curtain rose and revealed a grown woman sitting on the chair, the little girl – a doll, it was clear to see now – sitting on her lap.

"Well done," Sabrina said. "You are the first to have noticed that without aid. So, you will not agree to the condition for your loss?"

"No," Kagome answered. "I will not. If I fail to attain a Marsh Badge, then I will continue on to the next gym and try my skill there. Your doll's condition set no time limit to its play, and as I said, I distrust the phrasing."

"Very well," Sabrina allowed, eyes narrowing dangerously, and considering the fearsome expression on her face, that was really quite something. She floated out of her chair and down to the arena floor. "One on one, an all out match, agreed?"

Kagome nodded. "Those are conditions that I _can_ accept," she answered.

"Come out Abra," Sabrina summoned, and her doll released its hold of the pokeball, which floated up and forward before releasing the 'mon into the arena.

Kagome hummed a moment as she thought about her options, and finally released Shippo.

"I've never seen a 'mon like that before," Sabrina noted in a soft monotone.

"Shippo is a fox-ghost 'mon," Kagome elucidated with a smile. "Shippo, would you be a dear and plant your mushrooms around the room?" she requested.

"Shippo hap-po-pi to!" Shippo answered with a smile and dashed around, leaving large mushrooms swaying behind him.

Mushrooms that released a poisonous powder.

"Shi Shippo do pow?" Shippo asked once he'd surrounded the arena with his mushrooms, himself floating above the poisonous powder that they were releasing all around Abra.

Kagome smiled and snapped her fingers.

Shippo smiled back and did the same. Only, when Shippo snapped _his_ little claws, all the poison powder lit on fire.

Abra woke up then and cried out in pain. Abras, as a rule, only knew how to teleport. They didn't perform physical attacks because they slept for eighteen hours a day, and they were incapable of learning more advanced psychic attacks until they evolved. Kagome, of course, didn't accept that for _her_ Abra, and had the little guy being very capable of _physical_ attacks until the day he would be able to learn the more advanced psychic attacks.

Sabrina hadn't worried about that for her Abra though it seemed, as surprise overcame her features. It was possible she was used to Abra simply teleporting out of the way of attacks until the opponents were completely worn down and unable to move, let alone fight.

"Shippo!" Kagome called, and waved her 'mon over.

The fox-ghost floated above the flames to her on his little pink bubble.

"See if you can make her laugh?" Kagome suggested in a whisper.

"Shi!" Shippo agreed with a grin and zoomed back over to Sabrina. He pulled a face, hung upside-down from his pink bubble, and even had it explode in both of their faces before quickly re-forming a new one for him to float on.

That last trick seemed to do the job, as Sabrina burst out laughing. Even on fire, Abra – psychically linked to Sabrina – started laughing and rolling around on the floor as well.

The fire died down once all the poison powder and the mushrooms had been burned away, and Sabrina caught her breath by then.

Kagome was awarded the Marsh Badge as she recalled Shippo, but was sad to see that Sabrina was frowning again. Maybe the woman needed a comedian ghost-type 'mon of her own. Oh well, not her problem.

Next stop for her was Lavender Town. It was the decidedly scenic route, but that was where she was headed all the same.

"Kagome!" Misty called, waving.

"Hey, you've already been in?" Ash asked.

Kagome nodded. "Yep," she answered. "And a bit of advice before _you_ go in," she added. "Sabrina uses psychic 'mon. I don't know how close her Abra is to evolving into a Kadabra, but when he does, she'll be really hard to beat."

Ash frowned. "But I've _got_ to have a Marsh Badge!" he insisted.

Kagome shrugged. "Ghost-type 'mon are strong against psychic-types," she offered.

"Ghost-types? You mean like that Gastly we saw back at Maiden's Peak?" Ash asked.

Kagome nodded. "Yup," she agreed. "Well, you can try your luck with the 'mon you have if you like, but I've warned you. I'm going to stay the night at the 'Mon Centre, but I'm off to Lavender Town in the morning."

"We'll see you at the 'Mon Centre later," Ash promised.

"Yeah, wouldn't want you to leave without us," Brock agreed.

Kagome nodded in acceptance and waved to them as she left for the 'Mon Centre... and maybe to do some late-night shopping along the way.

~oOo~

"Kagome?" Misty said as they walked together to Lavender Town. Ash had been soundly beaten by Sabrina when her 'mon evolved during their battle, and the group had been psychically shrunk and set in Sabrina's toy-box, barely escaping before being squished by a ball – they'd told Kagome the story when she'd asked if Ash had gotten his badge.

Kagome had known to distrust the phrasing of that 'little girl'.

"What's on your mind?" Kagome asked.

"Um, Charmander, actually," Misty admitted, holding up the pokeball that held her only non-water-type 'mon. "See, we had a talk a while ago, about how I wasn't really the best trainer he could have. Water-type 'mon are my speciality you know. I haven't really got a _clue_ on how to raise a _fire_-type," Misty explained.

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, but learning is what being a trainer is all about, isn't it?" she asked.

Misty shrugged. "I guess, but Charmander and I agreed that if he ever wanted to have a trainer who would actually know better how to make him stronger, I'd give him up to you, no hard feelings," she said, clearly uncomfortable with the subject.

"I remember. That was back when we'd all just gotten free of the sunken Saint Anne," Kagome said with a nod.

"Well, I talked to Charmander again last night, after the whole fiasco with Sabrina," Misty continued, and bit her lip.

Kagome lay a gentle hand on Misty's shoulder. "Am I getting a new 'mon today?" she asked softly.

Misty nodded silently.

Kagome solemnly accepted the ball from Misty. "I'll take good care of him," she promised.

"I know you will," Misty agreed.

"Hey girls, we're here!" Brock called from up ahead. This time, _he_ had been the one in charge of the map and navigation, so it hadn't taken them very long at all to reach their target.

"Alright, let's go to 'Mon Tower and catch some ghost-type 'mon!" Ash said with determination.

Kagome shook her head. "You guys go ahead," she deferred.

Ash frowned. "What's the matter? You're not _scared_ are you?" he teased.

Kagome snorted. "As if," she answered with a shake of her head. "But I came here for a reason _apart_ from going to 'Mon Tower. Look I shouldn't be more than an hour, tops, so I'll catch up with you if you like."

"Yeah sure, you're just chickening out. I'll have caught a ghost-type 'mon by then!" Ash bragged.

Kagome chuckled. "Yeah, sure, right. You _do_ know that ghost-type 'mon are easier to catch during the _day_ right? It's clearly late. Better off coming back in the morning after you've rested."

"That's a good point actually," Brock agreed. "We've been walking all day as it is. It wouldn't hurt for us to get some shut-eye before heading into 'Mon Tower."

"Yeah, and maybe it won't be so creepy in the day either," Misty joined in.

"To the 'Mon Centre then," Ash said with a sigh, defeated. "I'd just... really wanted to capture a ghost-type 'mon _tonight_."

Kagome still took a different road to them on the way to the 'Mon Centre. There really was something else she wanted to do while she was in Lavender Town. Something that she was sure, if Ash knew about it, he'd want to do as well. She wanted to visit the local 'mon gym.

It was run by an old woman called Urasue, and she specialised in ghost- and earth-type 'mon, as Kagome found out when she knocked on the gym door and requested a battle to earn a Grave Badge.

Urasue opened with a Cubone, Kagome countered with Eevee.

Cubone threw his bonemerang, which Eevee barely dodged. Though, her dodge did land her on top of Cubone's head, and with a sharp twist, Eevee had turned Cubone's skull-helmet around so that he couldn't see. She leapt clean out of the way as the bonemerang came back – and struck Cubone's skull-helmet again, twisting it back the right way around.

The poor Cubone though, he couldn't handle any more, and Urasue was forced to recall the little guy as he burst into tears.

She sent out a Shinidamachu instead. This 'mon, with it's long body, bright red eyes, and the insect-like legs near the head, was a bug/ghost-type 'mon.

"This 'mon is said to collect the souls of the departed, bringing them to their trainer to make them more powerful," 'dex said when Kagome checked with the little device. "These are, however, only myths and cannot be substantiated."

Urasue cackled when she heard that, the old woman. "Oh, they're true," she said with wicked glee. "If they weren't, I'd have died of old age alone more than sixty years ago! Have a guess child, how old do you think this old woman is?"

"A hundred and sixty?" Kagome hazarded as she recalled Eevee and sent out Sesshoumaru instead. She pointed to the Shinidamachu and gave one command. "End it."

Sesshoumaru was more than glad interpret that command to his pleasure, and bite the ghost-bug's head off. He chewed for a moment, then spat it out. It would seem that the Shinidamachu was _not_ to Sesshoumaru's taste.

Except that he immediately went for the body.

Kagome looked to the discarded head. Only bones was left. "Oh," she said softly as she realised Sesshoumaru had somehow gotten whatever meat off the head that he could, and then simply spat out the bones.

"No! My Shinidamachu!" Urasue wailed. "You brat! I'm too old to go out and catch another Shinidamachu myself!"

"Perhaps it's time you found a successor to your gym then," she suggested a little darkly. Urasue's aura rubbed her the wrong way, and she couldn't quite help her reaction to the old witch. "You admitted already that you should have died sixty years ago."

Urasue grit her teeth and frowned, but all the same she recognised that she – a gym leader recognised by the League – had been defeated. With bad grace, she threw the Grave Badge at Kagome.

Kagome caught it silently. She hadn't really intended to be so brutal in her fight against the old woman, but there was just something about the old lady stealing souls to maintain her own life that set Kagome's teeth on edge. Those were souls that wouldn't get to pass on to the afterlife, wouldn't get to find rest. Kagome's priestess training rebelled against such a thing.

Silently, Kagome recalled Sesshoumaru and left the Lavender City Gym behind.

~oOo~

While Ash, Brock and Misty all wanted to stick together as they searched the tower for ghost-type 'mon, Kagome was more than willing to go off on her own. For one thing, she wasn't all that worried about whether or not she caught a ghost-type 'mon. She _had_ one already after all, her cute little Shippo! No, she was looking for a Cubone like Urasue had used. It had been a cute little 'mon, and while Kagome tried very hard to not go after 'mon because they were _cute_... well, they were tough too!

Cubone, according to the 'dex, were 'lonely' 'mon. It claimed that they were so called because they didn't care about anybody but themselves, but Kagome was more than willing to test that, and found a quiet, promising-looking part of the Tower where she sat down. Once she was comfortable, Kagome spread out her aura and started to sing, just softly, a song that her mother sometimes sang when she was doing little chores around the house and missing Kagome's father. When she thought no one was looking or near enough to hear.

"All around my hat, I will wear the green willow, and all around my hat, for a twelve-month and a day, and if anyone should ask me the reason why I'm wearing it: it's all for my true love, who's far, far away," Kagome sang softly, extending her aura out in waves of comfort.

She repeated the song, sometimes just humming the tune between singing it through again, since it wasn't very long, until a small, clawed hand gently touched her knee. Kagome opened her eyes – having closed them to help concentrate on spreading out her aura – to see a small _crowd_ of Cubones and Marowaks had come to listen to her song.

And it was a Cubone who had tapped her on the leg.

"Hey," Kagome greeted the little guy. "Do you want to maybe come with me?" she asked.

"Cu-u bone bone," Cubone answered with a nod.

Kagome smiled and offered a pokeball.

"Wak wak marowak," said a Marowak once the Cubone had disappeared into the pokeball, and bowed to Kagome.

Behind the Marowak, all the other Cubone and Marowak bowed too.

"You're welcome," Kagome answered. "It's a special song to me, so I'm glad I got to share it with all of you."

"Hey Kagome! Where are you?" Ash called from outside the Tower. "We're gonna leave!"

Kagome shook her head. "I guess that's my cue," she said, and stood. "Goodbye," she bid, and waved.

Each 'mon waved to her as well before scurrying away once she was out of sight.

"Find your ghost-type?" Kagome asked Ash.

"Yep!" Ash answered happily. "I caught me a Gengar!" he proclaimed proudly. "One with a bad sense of humour, but he's mine now," he added with a slightly more crooked smile.

Kagome smiled. "Congratulations. Well, I guess you're all off back to Saffron City?" she asked.

"We are," Brock answered.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"I wish you the best of luck then," Kagome said. "I'm going to head for Celadon City next."

"What?" Misty asked. "But that's... the other side of Saffron City from here. Why did you even come out this way if you're going back _that_ way?"

Kagome giggled. "You did too," she pointed out. "Ash is going to want to head to Celadon for a badge, but he came out here for a 'mon. Besides, the journey is the destination as much as anything else," Kagome pointed out.

Misty shrugged. "Whatever you say," she allowed, but remained confused.

"At least we'll have your company on the road, right Kagome?" Brock asked hopefully.

Kagome shook her head. "I'm not going to take the road," she answered, "and I'm going to go around Saffron City rather than through it again."

"Well, maybe we'll see you in Celadon City," Ash said.

"Maybe," Kagome agreed with a smile. With a wave, Kagome turned and headed off the road into the wilds. Time for some training away from prying eyes, and... A.J's abandoned gym wasn't too far from Lavender Town. She would go to Celadon City next, but... well, she was going to take a detour first.


	10. Chapter 10

Kagome spent some time fixing up the gym that had gotten somewhat run-down in the time it had been unoccupied, and even changed the sign, so that now it was _her_ gym, and the number of battles won versus number of battles lost was re-set to what she could remember of her track-record. It wasn't the one-hundred that A.J had left with, but the triple-digit was getting _much_ closer.

Probably the most impressive achievement of Kagome's second stay at what was once A.J's gym was that Charmander was learning to swim. Oh, the little guy wasn't about to do any diving, and he'd might always run from uncontrolled water that was rushing towards him with his tail held in front of himself, but in calm water, the little guy would paddle about with his head and the end of his tail above the surface, or float on his back with his tail over his tummy, almost as comfortable in the element as a Squirtle.

Cubone was getting to be a pretty good swimmer too, which was almost as impressive as seeing a Charmander that _enjoyed_ getting wet (even if only under controlled conditions).

After a month enjoying the (relative) peace of training her 'mon at the slightly re-modelled gym (and battling every trainer who thought big of themselves that was passing through the area), Kagome decided it was time to get the lead out and head to Celadon City for a badge.

"What do you _mean_ you've only just arrived in Celadon City?!" Professor Oak demanded when Kagome called him from the 'Mon Centre. (She'd called her mother first, of course, and Kikyo had just smiled that Mona Lisa smile of hers and let Kagome know she was loved and missed. If her mother wasn't worried about Kagome's only just reaching Celadon, why was the Professor?)

Kagome gave the older man her best flat look – her mother was the expert at it, but Kagome had been practising. "What does a person _usually_ mean when they say that?" she countered.

"But all the other trainers who left when you did have already passed through there! Weeks ago!" Professor Oak exclaimed.

"Well, good for them," Kagome said without any real enthusiasm.

"No Kagome, you don't understand, even _Ash_ has passed through there! They've _all_ got five badges, and you've only just arrived?!" Professor Oak demanded, mildly hysterical on her behalf. "I thought with the way you were switching your 'mon in and out over the last month that you were busily winning badges and just hadn't checked in with me, now I find out that you've -"

"Got _eight_ badges Professor Oak," Kagome cut in. "Now, I grant that four of them are from minor gyms rather than the major ones, but I really don't need more at this point. I took a month off to just train and spend time with my 'mon."

"But Kagome, I thought you were trying to be a 'mon Master," Professor Oak bemoaned. "That requires more 'mon than you've caught and a more pro-active attitude than you have thus far displayed! Wait, did you say eight badges?"

Kagome chuckled as she shook her head at the old man. "Yes, Professor Oak," she confirmed. "I did. Here, see?" she offered, and held up the strip of cloth she'd been pinning them to.

"Oh my," Professor Oak said, impressed despite himself. "Not even Gary has that many badges yet."

Kagome rolled her eyes. The old man had a bad habit of using his grandson as a measuring stick for all the other trainers who had started at the same time. "I've had people telling me _how_ I'm supposed to become a 'mon Master just about everywhere I stop. Not one of them yet has told me the same thing as any of the others, so you'll excuse me I hope if I don't listen to _your_ advice _either_, Professor Oak. Besides, I didn't decide to go on a 'mon journey because I wanted the title of "Greatest 'Mon Master in the World" like Ash and Gary and the rest," Kagome said firmly.

Professor Oak cringed. "You are taking more and more after your mother as you spend time _away_ from her I see," he noted as he shivered.

Oh yes, Mrs Higurashi was very capable of scaring the pants off even a grown man – and one who had watched her grow up at that. InuYasha Higurashi had been the town hero when he took Kikyo as his wife – and more importantly, when he took her away on their honeymoon.

"I was just letting you know where I was as a courtesy Professor Oak, since you're the one taking care of my 'mon when I'm not. I didn't call for the purpose of receiving or giving a lecture," Kagome said.

"Yes yes, you're quite right," Professor Oak agreed quickly. "I'll say goodbye now, and wish you luck against the gym leader there."

Kagome nodded. "Thank you Professor," Kagome said, and then hung up.

~oOo~

Kagome blinked up at the Celadon City Gym's burned out shell. Reconstruction _was_ going on, but Kagome had a feeling that the gym leader was probably too busy to be taking challengers. Still, what could it hurt to ask?

Kagome took a deep breath, picked one of the people helping out with a paint-brush, and walked up to her.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked.

"I don't know," Kagome answered honestly. "I came here today hoping to challenge the gym leader for a badge, but looking at the place, I feel like I should be offering to help out instead. It's... not going to happen any time soon, is it?" she asked.

The woman smiled. "I'm the gym leader," she answered. "I'm Erika, and actually, as bad as it looks? The damage is mostly just to the outside of the building now. Come on in. As gym leader, it is my honour and privilege to accept all challengers."

Kagome smiled. "Thank you very much," she said, and bowed before following the woman inside – and as Erika had said, the inside of the building looked great. There were plants everywhere too, like a massive indoor garden.

"We worked very hard, and had a lot of help from everybody in the city," Erika explained when Kagome asked. "We're the source of the city's best-selling perfume too, so we could afford to have a couple of construction crews come and make sure the gym was fixed up quickly."

Kagome nodded in understanding, and they reached the arena.

"Three-on-three," Erika requested.

"Agreed," Kagome answered, and with a glance around her decided that making the assumption that Erika used grass-type 'mon probably wasn't _too_ far out there. She sent out Spearow first.

"Oh my," Erika said, and blinked in shock. "That's certainly a _large_ Spearow you've got there."

Kagome giggled as Spearow swooped down to land at her side. "Yeah," she agreed as she stroked his feathers. "We get that reaction a lot, don't we?" she asked Spearow.

"Spear," he cooed happily.

An approving light was in Erika's eyes at the sight, but all the same she frowned in determination and released her own 'mon. "Tangela, go! Use growth!"

"Spearow?" Kagome cooed and gave him one last pat.

"Spear!" Spearow answered fiercely, and rose into the air.

A normal Spearow attacked pretty much exclusively with its beak, or else could and would use leer and agility attacks. Kagome's Spearow – like the rest of her 'mon – was not normal. Her Spearow also used his claws, and freely. Spearow slammed down hard on Tangela, large, sharp claws raking into the grass-type 'mon before he employed his beak.

"Tangela, use your sleep powder!" Erika called out, worried for her 'mon.

"Tangela..." Tangela answered, and tried to shake out the powder.

Spearow flapped his wings, even as his claws remained dug into his opponent, and the short breeze that created was enough to send the sleep powder back at Tangela.

"Tan... zzz," Tangela said, falling victim to his own attack.

"Oh, Tangela," Erika said sadly. "Return!"

Spearow walked back to Kagome, knowing full-well that he had won his fight, and wanting a little affection from his mistress before he was returned to his pokeball.

Kagome giggled and stroked his head. "Yes, you did very well," she praised softly, then kissed his beak and returned him to his pokeball.

"For my next 'mon, I choose Weepinbell!" Erika announced, and sent out the 'mon.

"Golduck, go!" Kagome countered

"A Golduck?" Erika repeated. "But you should know that grass-type 'mon are _strong_ against water-types," she said with a smile.

Kagome smiled back. "I didn't think you'd want me using a fire-type so soon after whatever happened to your gym," she answered. "But Golduck isn't _just_ a water-type 'mon."

"Weepinbell, razor leaf, now!" Erika ordered.

"Bell!"

"Golduck, disable that Weepinbell!" Kagome countered.

Golduck's brown eyes glowed blue as he called upon his psychic powers. It was a commonly forgotten fact about Golduck and Psyduck – though they were primarily _water_-types, they were _also_ capable of _psychic_ attacks.

Weepinbell's razor leaves all halted in the air, and the other 'mon was soon after floating off the ground from Golduck's psychic attack, and a good deal higher than it liked to be, apparently.

"Duck?" Golduck asked, turning to Kagome.

She nodded, a gentle smile on her face.

Golduck nodded to himself and walked up to the smaller 'mon. Except that as Golduck moved forward, Weepinbell floated backwards, back towards Erika.

"Um, thank you?" Erika said, and sighed as she brought up her arms around her Weepinbell. "Poor thing, we just weren't expecting that I suppose," she allowed, and returned her 'mon to his ball.

Golduck nodded in satisfaction and launched himself backwards, flipping in the air and displaying a speed that his breed normally only showed off in the water, finally landing next to Kagome.

"Duck!" he said, and hugged her tightly.

Kagome giggled and hugged back. "Yes, well done Golduck," she said happily. "Your psychic powers are tops."

"Gol!" Golduck answered with a grin, and vanished into his pokeball.

"Your battle skills are impressive," Erika complimented. "And you certainly seem to have the love of your 'mon, but do you understand empathy?" she asked, and released her final 'mon – a Gloom.

"Empathy," Kagome repeated as she eyed the 'mon that famously used scent to defeat enemies.

One thing was for sure, there was no way she was sending Sesshoumaru out against that little plant-type. The big guy had a very sensitive nose, and the smell of the Gloom would send him reeling.

"Seel," Kagome summoned, and released the 'mon from his ball. "Hold your breath Seel," she cautioned, "and ice beam."

"Seel," Seel answered, and lowered his horn to send out his attack.

"Holding your breath won't save you from Gloom's poison powder!" Erika said.

"Gloom!" Gloom agreed, and tensed her petals to release the powder. "Gloo-gloom," it said suddenly, shivering. The poison powder was released, but only upwards rather than towards Seel, who's ice beam was causing ice to appear over Gloom's petals, feet, and the bit of nectar that slowly dripped out the corner of Gloom's mouth was now solid.

"Gloom!" Erika exclaimed. "Return!"

"Seel!" Seel cheered, and bounced back to Kagome happily.

He was rewarded with a hug and a kiss and words of praise before being returned to his pokeball.

"Well, I'm impressed," Erika admitted. "You defeated my grass-type 'mon without using any fire-types at all, and in fact used two _water_-types. I am proud to present to you this Rainbow Badge," Erika said with a smile as she crossed the arena to Kagome.

Kagome smiled back. "Thank you," she said softly, genuinely grateful. Kagome took no victory for granted, and knew that her decision to not use any of her fire-types just because there had been a fire at the gym recently was a severe handicap.

~oOo~

Now, Kagome enjoyed getting a little lost in the wilds, but Celadon City was practically right next door to the bustling metropolis that contained Scissor Street, and Kagome was more than a bit interested in visiting the place that was _also_ known as Breeder's Lane.

Arriving on the street, Kagome raised an eyebrow at the line outside of 'Salon Roquet', a place that had a poster with an Ekans dolled up like a Christmas tree and a Koffing in a tutu. Kagome shook her head at the stupidity (and bad taste), and kept walking.

"Thank you Vulpix!" Kagome heard a familiar voice practically yell, and then there was a thump.

Kagome giggled. Well, she'd found the place she was looking for, and apparently was going to get to run into some of her friends as well.

"Suzy, we saw some super-fancy-looking 'mon when we were walking down the street," Kagome heard another familiar voice say. "Is that really the latest trend?"

"By any chance... did you pass a large salon on the way?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

Kagome guessed that was Suzy, the woman she had come to see.

"Mm-hm," Ash hummed in the positive. "You mean that really tacky-looking place," he agreed.

"Tacky is one word, tasteless is another," Kagome said as she stepped up into the doorway. "Sorry for barging in," she apologised.

"Kagome!" Misty greeted.

"Hey, long-time no-see," Ash said, and waved from his seat.

"Kagome, hey, how're your 'mon?" Brock asked.

"They're all healthy," Kagome answered. "We took a month for me to just dedicate my time to them. After that, Spearow flew me to the Celadon Gym, and then here," Kagome said, summarising what she'd been up to since seeing them last. Then turned to Suzy. "I'm Kagome, pleased to meet you."

"I'm Suzy," Suzy answered. "And likewise."

"So, why were we talking about the salon that is an expression of the artistic talent, or lack thereof, of the people running it?" Kagome asked as she sat down next to Pikachu on the bench where he was sitting, sharing his Brock-made chow with Suzy's Vulpix.

"Ever since it opened, some trainers are trying to make their 'mon look as flashy as possible," Suzy answered.

"So that salon started the trend," Brock observed.

"A good breeder is always trying to bring out the inner strength and personality of a 'mon, but this new fad is about standing out, not what's inside," Suzy explained, a deeply troubled expression on her face.

"I don't like it either," Ash offered. "It's pretty stupid to waste your time showing off."

"Thus speaketh the hypocrite, though I suppose you don't show off as much as Gary does, unless he's right there and you're trying to one-up him," Kagome quipped.

"But sometimes even 'mon like to get dressed up and show off a little," Misty put in. "Just like the rest of us. Right Pikachu?" she asked.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked, clearly confused as to where he came into it.

"I think Pikachu is perfect, just the way he is," Ash countered before Misty could go off daydreaming about dressing up his Pikachu. "We don't need any goofy fashions. It's what's going on inside that really counts."

"I never said the inside wasn't important!" Misty snapped. "But the outside counts too!"

"The inside is what matters!" Ash growled back.

"Outside too!"

"Inside!"

"Outside too!"

"You can both _take it_ outside," Kagome snapped, cutting the fight off before it got any further. "Argue all you like, but we don't want to hear it."

"If Misty thinks _fashion_ is so great, she should take her Psyduck to that salon," Ash said, getting in one last pitch before he sat down, stepping off the field.

"Hey, what a great idea!" Misty agreed, clapping her hands together in excitement. "Let's go Psyduck!"

"Psy-eye-eye?" the 'mon said as he held his head and looked up at Misty.

"Oh," Misty moaned, and sagged. She rallied though. "Never mind, Psyduck and I are so cute, we'll look good whatever we wear!"

"I'm sure Psyduck will," Ash quipped lowly.

"What do _you_ know about fashion!?" Misty demanded loudly.

"Nothing, he's a boy, move on," Kagome advised.

"Come on Psyduck," Misty ordered, and headed out.

"Psy?" Psyduck asked. "Psyduck, psyduck, psyduck!" he quacked as he followed her happily.

"I wonder if it's what's on the outside or the inside that really counts in the end," Suzy said with a sad sigh and a shrug. "Ever since that new salon opened, I've been wondering about my methods."

"Don't say things like that!" Brock said fervently, getting up from his seat with the passion he felt on the subject. "Suzy, you've got to keep following the path you believe in!"

"We have to stick up for what's _inside_ together," Ash agreed. "Right Pikachu?"

"Pikachu," Pikachu answered with a nod.

"They're not wrong," Kagome added, and reached across to lay one of her hands over Suzy's.

"That's very kind of all of you, but... how _can_ we?" Suzy asked.

"If they want to put style over substance, then we'll give them substance with style!" Brock said with a grin.

"Guilt also works," Kagome offered.

"Guilt?" Ash, Brock and Suzy all asked.

"Pika?" Pikachu echoed.

"Guilt," Kagome repeated firmly.

~oOo~

"Each 'mon needs your special care and attention," Suzy lectured as she massaged Pikachu in front of a gathered audience.

It had been Brock's idea for Suzy to give lectures on 'mon care. She _was_ recognised as _the_ top breeder several years running after all. As soon as the lectures had been announced (and that with a hastily rented microphone and speaker set), the trainers from up and down the street had just about poured in.

"Whenever a 'mon has been injured in a battle, as well as being taken to the nearest 'Mon Centre for treatment, it should be given a therapeutic massage," Suzy continued.

Pikachu was practically purring under her ministrations.

"Of course, for some 'mon, this is easier said than done. A Gyarados, for example, is more likely to give _you_ blisters than receive any benefits from your massage if you don't know what you're doing. For smaller 'mon like this Pikachu, you _can_ just use your hands. For a large 'mon like a Gyarados, I recommend applying a massage oil to its scales with a window-washer and then hosing it down. The Gyarados will appreciate the feel of the window-washer on its scales, and the water over its scales will also help it feel refreshed, but that's just one example. How each 'mon is massaged varies according to the needs of the 'mon," Suzy explained.

Then it was Ash's turn.

"This volunteer and his Pikachu will now demonstrate the techniques we learned in today's lecture," Suzy announced, and stepped aside. "As you may already know, a Pikachu's electricity sacks are located in its cheeks, and they become very tense after a difficult battle."

"Pika pikachu," Pikachu agreed with a nod.

"Ash, would you please massage Pikachu's cheeks?" Suzy requested. "Just like I showed you earlier."

"Uh, sure I guess," Ash agreed.

Pikachu happily lay down on the table again, ready to be pampered a little more.

"Uh, let's see..." Ash said, and hesitated.

"Cha!" Pikachu exclaimed happily, Ash's light, uncertain touch having apparently tickled.

"Maybe, uh..." and then he was doing it right.

"Chau..." Pikachu sighed happily.

"Hah, how's that feel Pikachu?" Ash asked with a smile.

"Pi-ka," Pikachu answered with a happy, relaxed, indulged sort of tone that a lot of people in the crowd clearly recognised for what it was.

"Good communication between 'mon and their trainers is _essential_," Suzy stated as Ash continued to massage. "These techniques build trust, and help to bring out the personality of your 'mon."

"Any technique is only as good as the breeder _or trainer_ who uses it though," Kagome added, and stepped up from where she'd been standing at Suzy's side with a pokeball in her hand. She'd been Suzy's assistant (passing massage oils) and Brock's (handing out fliers on how to give massages to a few of the more common types of 'mon), but as much as it was now Ash's turn to take the stage and massage Pikachu, it was also Kagome's turn to show off.

"Oh certainly," Suzy agreed with a smile.

Kagome released Charmander.

"Hey Kagome, is that -?" Brock started to ask.

Kagome nodded. "I met this Charmander as his first trainer was abandoning him for being too weak," Kagome said to the crowd. "After that, this Charmander decided to go with a friend of mine, but she specialised in water-type 'mon and didn't know _how_ to train a Charmander, so the little guy didn't really get to grow or get stronger much at all. The two of them talked it over, and Charmander then came into my care just a little over a month ago."

"Am I imagining things, or is that Charmander _taller_ than they usually are?" Ash asked.

"You're not imagining it," Kagome answered happily. "Charmander grew three inches this past month. He's also learned how to swim, and is both stronger and _more confident_ in his strength."

"A Charmander who can _swim_?" Suzy repeated, shocked.

Kagome smiled and nodded. "Yep!" she answered happily. "There won't be any diving though," she said and rested a hand on Charmander's head. "At least, not until we can figure out how to keep his tail-flame burning while it's under water."

"Char char!" Charmander said happily.

Just then, Misty's Psyduck pushed to the front of the crowd and conveyed a rather panicked message.

"Oh, coming!" Kagome said instantly, not waiting on translation from a 'mon she knew better. If a 'mon could learn to speak like a human, then damn it all, a human could learn to listen like a 'mon!

"Char!" Charmander agreed and raced after her. He grabbed Psyduck's hand as he passed, dragging the worried 'mon along with him.

"Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Pika pika!"

"Misty's in trouble?"


	11. Chapter 11

Kagome didn't waste time. Even once she was in Salon Roquet she kept running. Meowth was hurdled, then Misty's head was treated as a vault, Jesse was clothes-lined and James was kicked in the face before Kagome landed again behind the carrot-top's chair.

"Charmander, Psyduck both of you use scratch!" Kagome ordered as she herself pulled out her pocket knife and started on the ropes that held Misty to her chair. "Keep Team Rocket distracted."

"Char!" Charmander answered confidently.

"Psy?" Psyduck queried.

Charmander chuckled. "Char char, mander," he answered, and started using his own scratch attack.

"Ow!" Meowth yelped, paws up to his scratched face.

"Char char," Charmander said to Psyduck.

"Psy," Psyduck agreed hesitantly, but moved forward as well.

"Really, what can that pathetic little 'mon do?" James questioned as Psyduck waddled up to him.

Psyduck struck.

"Ah! My uniform!" James exclaimed, shocked that the 'mon had actually torn a great chunk out of his trousers. Not anywhere embarrassing, but the trousers were ruined all the same.

Psyduck kept scratching.

"Misty!" Ash called as he also barged into the salon at last, Brock at his side and even Suzy with her Vulpix close behind.

"What took you guys so long?" Misty asked, though she was clearly relieved to see them.

"What happened to your face?" Ash countered, and both he and Brock had to bite down hard on their lips to keep from laughing.

"You know what, all these ropes, this is taking too long," Kagome muttered to herself as Jesse (having apparently forgotten about Kagome) monologued. "Charmander, Psyduck, bring those claws of yours over here!" she called.

"You'll have to wait your turn," Jesse scolded the boys, and Suzy behind them. "We won't be finished with your friend until she looks like Frankenstein. Or... we _could_ trade. This twirpy girl for your Pikachu," she offered with a smirk. "Your Pikachu will be the star model of Salon Roquet. It really is our finest scam yet. We lure in naïve trainers who are more than willing to part with simply _buckets_ of money in exchange for having their 'mon receiving a fashion make-over, and if a particularly _rare_ 'mon comes in, why, we distract their trainer and then snatch it on the spot," she elaborated happily.

"If you're trying to steal Pikachu, we're gonna battle," Ash said with a frown.

"Count me in," Brock agreed. "Tag-team!"

"Not necessary," Kagome said as she stood back from Misty's chair. "Psyduck, get her out of the line of fire," Kagome requested of the 'mon.

"Psy!" Psyduck agreed with a nod before he lifted Misty over his head and ran off to the side of the room with her.

"Stand down boys, there's some professional integrity at stake here," Kagome said as she recalled Charmander with one hand, and released her Vulpix with the other.

"Absolutely," Suzy agreed as she stepped forward, her own Vulpix hopping down from her arms.

"Salon Roquet is ready," James announced, and produced a ridiculous looking _thing_ that he pushed a button on. The whole building configuration changed with a puff of smoke – which also, apparently, gave Team Rocket enough time to get changed.

"That's the second time he's been blonde when cross-dressing," Kagome noted absently when Team Rocket were visible again.

James was in a massive red gown and blonde wig with curls, while Jesse was dressed as the prince to James' princess.

"Dazzle them Ekans," Jesse bid.

"Knock 'em dead Koffing," James agreed with stars in his eyes.

The pair of made-up 'mon charged with, Kagome privately admitted, an impressive amount of success given their ridiculous outfits.

The two Vulpix stood side by side, the size disparity rather obvious, but the matter was set aside to be commented upon later.

"Time for a basic lesson in breeding," Suzy lectured fiercely. "If all you worry about is your 'mon's _outer_ beauty, it's _inner_ strength will be lost!"

"A 'mon is like a fashion model," Jesse countered happily. "All that counts is a pretty face."

"Like mine!" Meowth said as he jumped to the fore of the confrontation, claws extended and ready to do some damage.

"Vulpix, round them up with fire spin!" Suzy ordered.

"You heard the lady," Kagome added to her own Vulpix when she looked back to check for _her_ orders.

One fire spin would have been enough. Two? Well, it was a good thing that Psyduck had gotten Misty to safety before the battle began. There wasn't any of Salon Roquet _left_ after that.

"You see that?" Brock called out to the crowd that had gathered to watch the spectacle. "A cute exterior can hide _inner_ strength! That's the true power and personalities of your 'mon!"

Shamed, trainers removed accessories from their 'mon up and down the street, and make-up was mercifully cleaned off. The message had finally been driven home.

"Well," Kagome said with a pleased smile. "I can think of a couple of 'mon that deserve a nice treat after all the hard work they put in today," she said with a smile at her Vulpix and Suzy's, Misty's Psyduck, and a gentle hand resting on Charmander's pokeball.

Suzy nodded in agreement, and picked up her Vulpix. "Um," she said as she came eye-to-eye with Kagome's.

"Don't know," Kagome answered, pre-empting the question. "They just keep growing. It's not hurting them at all. It might be something in their diets, and we've been experimenting a bit this last month, but I wouldn't want to commit myself. Besides, if I ever eventually figure it out, it'll be _my_ trade secret," she added with a cheeky smile.

Suzy laughed. "Well, will you tell me about your training methods?" she asked. "Both your Charmander and your Vulpix look very healthy, but there _is_ more to a healthy 'mon than just their diet."

~oOo~

"Thanks to all of you, I believe in what I'm doing again," Suzy said when they were back at her salon and Ash, Misty and Brock were getting ready to leave. "I've regained confidence in my beliefs."

"It's not hard when the person you're helping is as great as you are," Ash answered bashfully.

"And Brock?" Suzy said.

"Yes?" he asked, stepping up nervously.

"I have a lot more to learn about breeding 'mon," she said firmly. "Even if I do have a championship. I'm still a student, not a teacher. Looks like we both have journeys ahead of us," she declared with a satisfied smile.

"You're leaving, Suzy?" Ash asked, surprised but smiling. "What about your salon?"

"There are things I can only learn if I leave here," she answered. "I want you to continue your journey too Brock," she added, her attention on the young man again. "From now on, we're rivals," Suzy declared, and offered her hand to shake.

Brock, blushing, placed his hand in hers and shook it. "Uh, ah, sure," he agreed.

Then Suzy shocked everyone – except for her 'mon – when she asked Brock to take care of Vulpix for her. Vulpix liked Brock, and he was the first person he'd ever liked who wasn't Suzy. Kagome was the second, but Kagome already had a Vulpix, and... Suzy was sure that Brock would take good care of Vulpix.

Suzy would actually be travelling with Kagome though, just for a while, to learn more about _her_ techniques, trade a few of her own, and perhaps through observation see what Kagome was doing that caused her 'mon to grow to such unprecedented sizes. It was possible that it was something Kagome couldn't see because she was right in the thick of it, and not used to thinking like a breeder besides.

~oOo~ 

"You think it's my miko-ki?" Kagome asked as they packed up camp after a week on the road together.

Suzy nodded. "I really do," she answered with a smile. "You use your miko-ki nearly every day as you train with your 'mon, and it's the only variable in what you do that no other trainer could possibly replicate."

"Miko-ki makes 'mon bigger..." Kagome mused, slightly awed by the revelation. "Well, I'm not going to start using more of it, or stop using it," she decided.

Suzy shrugged in acceptance. "From what I've observed, that's probably the best for _you_, as well as your 'mon. If you used more of your miko-ki than you have been, you'd probably exhaust yourself. If you used less, you'd probably start to suffer from a build-up. Regular use of your miko-ki has become part of your routine now."

Kagome sighed. "I wonder if it's why _I'm_ growing so fast," she said.

Suzy blinked.

"I know I don't look it," Kagome said, again answering the unspoken question, "but I'm the same age as Ash. Just ten, oh, no, nearly eleven years old now," Kagome corrected herself. She sighed. "I hope using my miko-ki doesn't just make me age faster, or I'll be an old woman by the time I'm thirty."

Suzy blinked twice more. "That's... a good point," she agreed. "Only one way to find out though," she pointed out.

Kagome couldn't argue with that, and as she'd said already, she wasn't changing her routine. She could only hope that use of her powers wouldn't make her an old woman before her time.

~oOo~

"Oh, don't tell me we're lost again."

"Okay, I won't tell you."

"Where are you trying to go?" Kagome asked, dropping down behind them. She'd been flying on Spearow's back – she and Suzy had parted ways not long after Suzy figured out it was Kagome's miko-ki that was the most likely culprit for her super-sized 'mon – and had spotted them through the trees.

"Ah!" they all three yelped in surprise.

"Pika!" Pikachu yelped at the same time. He frowned, recovering first. "Pi pikachu!" he scolded.

"Oh, but it's so fun to surprise people," Kagome answered with a pout that _barely_ hid her cheeky smile. She was _so_ going to do that again if she ever got the chance, Pikachu's warning her against it completely aside. Even getting shocked by the little guy would be worth it. The faces Ash, Misty and Brock had made!

"Kagome, please don't do that again," Ash entreated, echoing the threat his 'mon had already made.

"No promises," Kagome chirped happily. "So, where are you trying to go?"

"Fuchsia City," Brock answered. "The directions I have say that it's beyond a mountain, but we're currently _surrounded_ by mountains."

"It's that way," Kagome said, and pointed down the road they were already on.

"Shippot po-in pon?" Shippo asked as he, and others of Kagome's other 'mon currently on rotation, came out of the trees.

"What's going on is that I spotted friends," Kagome answered with a smile and a gesture to Ash, Brock, Misty and Pikachu. "Sorry to cut the race short guys," she apologised.

"Squirtle squirt," Squirtle dismissed with a wave.

"Char," Charmander agreed. "Mander."

Kagome giggled.

"You... just let your 'mon run freely through the wilderness?" Misty asked. "What if some other trainer tried to catch them?"

Kagome shrugged. "Then that trainer would be in for a nasty surprise," she answered. "I was keeping an eye on all of them from Spearow's back," she explained. "I'm not so irresponsible that I'd let some other trainer try and catch my 'mon without intervening first."

Misty sighed.

"I tried to catch someone else's 'mon," Ash admitted quietly. "I didn't know it wasn't a _wild_ Hitmonchan though," he explained. "And Pikachu got beat up for it."

"Woah, I didn't know you had a pair of Eevees Kagome," Brock admired when he spotted the two 'mon.

"You've got _two_?!" Misty yelped, and looked around to spot them. "Oh, can I have one, please?" she begged. "I've _always_ wanted a Vaporeon!"

Kagome chuckled. "I actually don't have two Eevee," she answered. "I've got one Eevee, and one Ditto," she stated before they could point out like idiots that they could all clearly see _two_ Eevee.

"Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'," Kagome repeated. "Alright everybody, back you go, and Eevee, Ditto, Shippo, you're all back to Professor Oak as well."

"Ship-okay Kagome!" Shippo said, speaking for himself and the other two 'mon, who both nodded acceptance behind him.

Kagome fiddled with her 'dex a moment, changing her team around again, once they were all back in their balls.

"Why are you changing your team Kagome?" Ash asked.

"Sesshoumaru doesn't like being separated from me, and I feel the same way, but the others need team-bonding time as well, and they can't run at Professor Oak's like they can out here," Kagome explained absently as she walked. "With training done for the day, I'm recalling Sesshoumaru, and sending back Shippo so that the balance is there."

"Why send back Eevee and Ditto though?" Misty asked.  
"Eevee and Ditto are getting really close lately, so where one goes, I try and make sure the other is there too. They knew they were only out for training today though. Cubone's on the team otherwise, and because I try not to have more than two of my psychic-types in the same place, I've also recalled Golduck to my team," Kagome answered.

"Why not have more than two psychic-types in the same place?" Ash asked, curious.

"Abra is a _powerfully_ psychic 'mon, but with only one technique in his arsenal. Golduck is less powerful right now, but more versatile. Shippo is less powerful than either of them, but a very keen student of the psychic arts. Abra and Golduck both enjoy teaching Shippo what they can, and will happily discuss the things that they think Shippo should learn next, but they can't both teach at the same time. It's bad for their friendship, and Shippo doesn't learn as well that way," Kagome said, doing her best to explain the situation.

"I don't really get it, but they're your 'mon, so you'd know best, I guess," Ash allowed.

Kagome shook her head and turned to Misty. "How's Psyduck?" she asked.

Misty sighed, unhappily. "He's – _waah_!" Misty exclaimed, cut off from answering as a massive explosion rocked the landscape and shook them all off their feet.

~oOo~

Kagome whistled in appreciation when they crested a ridge. A massive line of trucks, and the explosives that had shaken them apparently being used for landscaping. It looked like a battle-zone. It looked even more like a battle-zone when the trucks were all suddenly stopped, some wheels sinking and others going up in the air as the dirt road beneath them became suddenly uneven.

"Look at that!" Misty said.

"It's terrible," Brock agreed.

"Don't just stand there," Kagome said, and put actions to words as she slid down the escarpment.

"Right, someone might be hurt," Misty agreed, and followed close behind.

"I just can't take it any more!" a man in a hard-had yelled as he punched the ground after having stumbled out of the cabin of the truck he'd been in.

"Are you alright?" Ash asked.

"It's the Diglet!" the man exclaimed, not answering Ash's question. "They're destroying everything!"

"The Diglet?" Ash repeated, confused.

"See, right over there," the man said, and pointed to where approximately a dozen Diglet were just popping up and down in their holes.

"Oh, they're so cute!" Misty cooed.

"You think they're _cute_ do you!?" the man demanded. "Thanks to them, we can't finish building that dam!" he told them, indicating a construction site just a bit further up the road. "I hate Diglet! I hate them!" the man growled, and managed to remove the top of his own hard-hat in his frustration – while wearing it.

"Hey Kagome? Would whatever you did with the Spearow back when we were leaving Pallet work on the Diglet here?" Ash asked softly.

Kagome looked over at the Diglet that were still playing in the road. "Probably not," she answered.

"Why?" Brock asked. "What did you do with these Spearow?"

Kagome shrugged. "It's a miko spell," she answered. "It calms down the 'mon if it's been thrown into a rage for whatever reason, and encourages them to return to whatever place they consider home, leaving the area where the spell was cast."

"That sounds perfect!" the man with the now busted construction had exclaimed, stars in his eyes, as he took Kagome's hands in his. "Will you please perform this spell for us?" he requested.

Kagome sighed. "It won't work," she told him.

He blinked. "Why not?" he asked, confused.

Kagome pulled her hands from his and indicated the Diglet. "They're not raging, for one thing. Those Diglet are perfectly calm and happy. Playful even. They're not blindly attacking you. For another..." Kagome trailed off.

"What is it Kagome?" Brock asked.

"Diglet!" a little Diglet chirped as he popped up at Kagome's feet.

Kagome squatted down so that she was closer to the tiny 'mon. "This is your home, isn't it little one?" she asked him.

"Diglet," the tiny 'mon answered with a nod.

"The explosives that are being used to build the dam..." Ash said, realisation dawning.

"Diglet," the 'mon nearly growled, a clear frown on his face even though he lacked a definite mouth. "Dig, dig diglet dig."

"A dam would flood the homes of the Diglet. They're not attacking you, they're defending themselves," Kagome explained, and reached out to pat the Diglet on the head. "And they're being very careful about not actually hurting any people, even though they're making sure your work can't go ahead."

"Dig!" Diglet agreed and purred under Kagome's stroking.

"Their... homes?" the man asked, stunned. It seemed he hadn't thought about that possibility at all.

"Yes," Kagome answered plainly. "Wild 'mon have to live somewhere too."

"The first squad has arrived!" a voice announced. "The rest are in these busses!"

"Squad?" Brock asked.

"Gary..." Ash growled through grit teeth.

Kagome shook her head and stood, releasing Spearow as she did. "I'll see you guys later," she said, and climbed onto Spearow's back. There was going to be posturing and stupidity here before the day was over, she just knew it. She would also just as soon not pay witness to it.

~oOo~

The thing about Fuchsia Gym and Fuchsia City? They weren't, in fact, in the same place. Or rather, there was Fuchsia Gym and then there was Fuchsia _City_ Gym, which was (surprisingly) the smaller of the two, even if it was more frequently visited. Kagome had headed for Fuchsia _City_, rather than Fuchsia _Gym_, so after visiting the 'Mon Centre (for a check-up), the Fuchsia City Gym (for a Dora Badge, won easily when Kilala defeated the gym leader's Tauros), and a quick stop by the shops to get a few necessities, Kagome headed back out into the wilds again, searching for Fuchsia _Gym_.

She had to laugh when she finally arrived.

"Ash, Brock, Misty, Pikachu, hey!" she called as she ran up the road to pull level with them.

"Using your own feet today?" Misty asked.

Kagome nodded. "It looks like we all reached the Fuchsia Gym at the same time," she noted.

"No way," Ash said. "_This_ is the Fuchsia Gym?" he asked, pointing over his shoulder at the place. "It looks more like an old-fashioned mansion than a gym."

"It's the Fuchsia Gym," Kagome promised. "They prize their secrecy, so they're out here while the Fuchsia _City_ Gym is, of course, in Fuchsia City," Kagome explained.

"If they prize their secrecy, perhaps you two shouldn't go in at the same time?" Brock suggested. "That way, you can't know going in what you're going to face, which you would if you went in together and both challenged at the same time."

Kagome nodded before Ash could formulate an answer. "Sure," she agreed. "I'll wait out here. You all go ahead, but promise me two things," she requested with a smile.

"Sure, Kagome. What?" Ash asked.

"One, don't tell me _anything_ of what you face in there until I've come out as well, and two, wait for me?" she asked.

They laughed. "Sure," Ash agreed.

"You don't want some company out here?" Misty asked.

Kagome shook her head. "Thanks, but I'm going to meditate a bit, maybe look for any wild 'mon in the area until you come out again," she answered.

"Okay," Ash agreed. "Let's go."

"See you in a bit," Brock promised.

"Yeah," Misty agreed.

Kagome turned to the trees and sat down, legs crossed on the dirt. "You can come out now," she said softly once the doors had closed between her and the others.

"Bulba?" a small Bulbasaur asked tentatively as she peeked out from beneath a berry bush.

Kagome smiled encouragingly. "Hey," she greeted, and offered an open palm to the under-sized 'mon, holding perfectly still as the 'mon cautiously stepped out of the bushes and walked slowly, so slowly, up to her. "Well aren't you just adorable?" Kagome said softly. "But so small, most Bulbasaurs are twice your size," she observed as she picked up the Bulbasaur. "How have you been surviving out here on your own?"

"Bulba saur," the Bulbasaur answered softly, shaking.

Kagome nodded. With difficulty. That would be right. "Well, would you like to come with me?" she offered. "I'll make sure you grow up big and strong," she promised, and giggled slightly. "I can kind of guarantee the 'big'," she added with a smile.

"Bulb? Bul-bulba!" the little Bulbasaur answered, a hopeful smile on her face.

Kagome took out an empty pokeball and gently tapped it on Bulbasaur's head. Well, that was another member of her team, and somehow she'd managed to collect all three of the starter 'mon Professor Oak offered.

Kagome spent an hour alternately meditating and spending quiet time with her 'mon, carefully ignoring all the sounds from within the compound, until Ash, Pikachu, Misty and Brock re-emerged.

"Wish me luck!" she requested with a smile as she stood, then headed in.


End file.
